heavy snow
9
1.0
- noun
- /ˈhɛvi snoʊ/
- UK
:
nieve intensa
- Driving conditions became dangerous because of the heavy snow accumulation overnight.
- heavy snow warning
- storm with heavy snow
- heavy snow fell
The conditions were really, really rough, heavy snow, low visibility.
- The conditions were really, really rough, heavy snow, low visibility.
Examples
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All flights to Hawaii have been canceled due to heavy snow.
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"Two days later, a heavy snow fell, and when it stopped, an unseasonable, bone-shattering cold followed it.
Fiction book (1993) -
The MPs should have come here themselves, but because of this heavy snow, they cannot make it.
Fiction book (1998) -
March was a heavy snow month, but weeks might go by as mild as May.
Fiction book (1993) -
'...the same cold front brought heavy snow to the Rockies earlier this week.
-
My street is still barely passable due to the heavy snow from last week.
Blog text (14) -
For now, both armies settle into winter quarters as December brings bitter cold and heavy snow to northern Italy.
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The weather service is forecasting heavy snow and high winds until tomorrow morning, with a chance of continued storm activity...
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Heavy snow, gale winds, and sub-zero temperatures make his progress tortuous.
Fiction book (1993) -
One of those heavy snows that covered up everything—roofs, cars, even people's restlessness.
Academic text (2010)
Synonyms
90
3.2
A heavy snowstorm with strong winds and very low visibility
60
1.0
A storm with heavy snow and strong winds that makes it hard to see
32
1.0
The amount of snow that falls in a place during a period of time
How Heavy
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a large amount of snow' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'heavy' (large/intense) with 'snow' (precipitation), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the phrase. This adjective+noun collocational pattern is cross-linguistically common and does not involve idiomatic or metaphorical shift, making it predictable rather than opaque.
Etymology
The compound heavy snow comes from a simple image: heavy means a big weight and snow falling so thick it piles up like a heavy blanket. So, heavy snow now means a 'large amount' of snow in a short time that can block roads and cause problems.