Snowstorm: A snowstorm is like a hailstorm except that it stings less when you get caught in it. A snowstorm is likely to drift more or less aimlessly driven by the winds of change creating great drifts of snow that are virtually impassable.
Most people prefer a snowstorm to a hailstorm since it evokes childhood memories of sledging, snowmen, snowball fights, and generally having fun. There's a magical quality to the eery silence as snow gently falls lulling us into a false sense of security. Contrast this with the cacophony of sound as hailstones beat down on the roof of our shelters. Some hailstones are so large thay they can kill on impact.