Quick bursts of wind and snow can bring dangerous travel conditions across the northern U.S. This wintry weather could be caused by an Alberta Clipper.

So what exactly are they? Let's break it down into two parts: Alberta and Clipper.

First off, the central Canadian providence of Alberta is often where these systems originate. They form on the leeside of the Canadian Rockies in the cold and relatively dry arctic air found there.

Swept up by the fast-moving jet stream— a narrow river of high speed winds high in the atmosphere— these winter storms move quickly into the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. The term "clipper" comes from the name of the fast-moving ships of the 19th century, which were known for their speed.

These winter storms, lacking access to large bodies of water, only produce accumulations of an inch or two. However, gusty winds and snow squalls can cause white-out conditions, which can cause chain-reaction crashes. The WeatherRadar and WindRadar can be used to track the snow and wind that accompany these systems.

Clippers that move over the Great Lakes can enhance lake-effect snow totals and if they move south enough, could provide the energy for the big nor'easters that develop off the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts.