snow flurry
1
3.4
- noun
- /snoʊ ˈflɜːri/
- UK
:
nevada ligera
- Air cloudy now, and we can expect a few snow flurries later on.
- snow flurry swirled
- a few snow flurries
Examples
-
A couple of snow flurries swirled in the air.
Fiction book (1992) -
The weather report mentioned that a few snow flurries might make an appearance later today.
-
Light snow or snow flurries and continued cold through tomorrow.
-
The snow flurries were getting heavier.
Fiction book (2002) -
The snow flurry swirled around them.
Fiction book (1995) -
In New York City light snow flurries lingering till about midnight.
-
We've got some snow flurries at times down to about 5,000 feet.
-
Calm and cold this morning with temperatures around 24°, then picking up this afternoon bringing snow flurries.
-
Snow flurries along the northeastern seaboard...
-
We've had no rain—only a few snow flurries.
Fiction book (1992)
Synonyms
53
3.9
A sudden short burst of activity, wind, or snow
32
1.0
The amount of snow that falls in a place during a period of time
A short, light fall of snow that starts suddenly
How Heavy
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a brief, light fall of snow' is directly derivable from combining 'snow' (frozen flakes) with 'flurry' (a sudden, short burst), so the phrase transparently denotes a short burst of snow. This simple noun+noun compositional pattern is common in English and cross-linguistically similar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should readily understand it.
Etymology
The noun snow flurry comes from the image of small snowflakes being blown around in a quick burst of wind. A flurry means a sudden, short movement, so a snow flurry is a 'brief' fall of light snow, often with gusts of wind.