How does lake effect work?
The Short Answer: Lake effect snow forms when cold, below-freezing air passes over a lake’s warmer waters. This causes some lake water to evaporate and warm the air. Then, the moist air moves away from the lake.
What is the lake effect in Michigan?
“Lake-effect” precipitation is a common event in the state of Michigan, occurring most often during the late autumn and early winter months. This form of precipitation is the result of rapid warming and moistening of cP (continental polar) air masses that regularly move southward from central Canada (Kunkel, 2000).
What city gets the most lake-effect snow?
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York, directly south of the Tug Hill Plateau, receives significant lake-effect snow from Lake Ontario, and averages 115.6 inches (294 cm) of snow per year, which is enough snowfall to be considered one of the “snowiest” large cities in America.
What causes lake-effect snow?
Lake Effect snow occurs when cold air, often originating from Canada, moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes. As the cold air passes over the unfrozen and relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, warmth and moisture are transferred into the lowest portion of the atmosphere.
How big does a lake have to be for lake-effect snow?
100 km wide
To grow a snowstorm, you need moisture, lift, and below-freezing temperatures. But for lake effect snow to occur, these special conditions are also required: A lake or bay of 100 km wide, or larger. (The longer the lake, the greater the distance the air must travel over it, and the greater the convection.)
Why does lake-effect snow show on radar?
The reason is lake effect snow lies fairly low in the atmosphere. A radar beam goes out into the atmosphere at an angle, which makes the radar beam go higher and higher in the sky as the beams travels away from the radar.
Does Michigan get lake effect snow?
Mancelona and Gaylord get heavy lake effect with northwest, west and slightly southwest winds. Also, the Keweenaw Peninsula, sticking out into Lake Superior, can get lake effect snow from west winds to north winds to northeast winds. That’s why they often shovel over 200 inches of snow in Houghton, MI.
What is the most snow to fall in a single day in the US?
What is the most snow ever recorded in one day? The heaviest snowfall ever recorded in a 24-hour period in the U.S. occurred on April 14 and 15, 1921 in Silver Lake, Colorado. During this single day, 6.3 feet of snow fell onto the ground according to Weather.com.