snowbound

Snowbound is an English term used primarily as an adjective to describe a person, vehicle, or location that is immobilized or cut off by snow. It commonly refers to travelers who are stranded when roads become impassable due to heavy snowfall, drifting snow, or blizzards. Snowbound conditions can persist for hours or days, depending on snow depth, wind, and the speed of snow removal.

Causes of snowbound conditions include heavy snowfall, blizzards, wind-driven drifts, and sometimes constrained snow removal efforts that leave roads or entrances blocked. Cold temperatures can accompany these conditions, reducing the effectiveness of clearance and increasing the risk of exposure for exposed individuals.

Effects of being snowbound include mobility disruption, travel and supply delays, and potential hazards such as hypothermia or frostbite. Prolonged isolation can also cause psychological stress. Safety and preparedness guidance emphasizes staying indoors during storms, monitoring weather updates, maintaining adequate heating and emergency supplies, and having a charged communication device. If travel is unavoidable, informing others, carrying blankets, food, water, and a basic first-aid kit is advised, along with avoiding overexertion when outdoors.

In culture and media, Snowbound is used as a recurring title or theme in films, books, and songs, often to evoke confinement, survival, or drama set against winter weather. The term serves as a descriptive motif rather than referencing a single canonical work.

See also: blizzard, snowstorm, winter weather advisory, snowdrift.