cold snap

noun

1. a sudden onset of a relatively brief period of cold weather.

cold snap

noun

1. a sudden short spell of cold weather

Word History and Origins

Origin of cold snap¹

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80

Idioms and Phrases

Also, cold spell. A short period of unusually cold weather, as in The recent cold snap has threatened the crop. The first expression presumably likens snap in the sense of “a sudden bite or cut” to sudden unexpected cold. The variant is more obvious, spell having been used in the sense of “a bout or turn at something” since the early 1700s. [Early 1800s]

Example Sentences

In the cold snaps of the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries - part of the Little Ice Age - glaciers regularly advanced.

From BBC

For example, Greenidge gas power plant in New York which was renovated to mine bitcoin was mandated to power down mining in January to supply electricity to the grid during a cold snap.

From BBC

A new boiler, fitted under the contract last summer, broke down when the first cold snap arrived, and the youngest children had to be sent home for three days because the building was so cold.

From BBC

This cold snap will also affect areas of the interior Central Coast, San Joaquin Valley, Ojai Valley and Santa Barbara County, where the weather service has issued freeze alerts.

From Los Angeles Times

Up until now we have had a real mix of unsettled weather with five named storms but we also had a significant cold snap in early January.

From BBC

Related Words

• cold spell www.thesaurus.com
• cold wave 
• cold weather www.thesaurus.com