Driving to Quakertown this morning as the snow was just starting to fly, I heard a weather forecaster say that the word 'blizzard' was not originally used for weather. He said it was a baseball term from 1871 and referred to a high scoring game, as in a blizzard of hits. That led me later to a Google search, which led to several other origins, including a volley of shots (cannon, etc.) , a hard strike (baseball) , and a rapid round of hits (boxing). Some time in the late 1800's, maybe in Iowa, it was first used to refer to snow, specifically to conditions of low temperatures, strong winds, blowing snow, and limited visibility.Thanks to the weather, I had to bag my drive up north to see the Met simulcast of Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann.
