A cold northwesterly to westerly wind over all the Great Lakes created the lake-effect snowfall of January 10, 2022. Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water.

During the late fall and winter seasons in the Great Lakes region, the flow of cold air masses across the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes waters results in the production of dramatic lake-effect snowfall downwind of the lakes, particularly on the southern and eastern shores.

Great Lakes snow can be partitioned into two main categories – lake-effect snow and non-lake-effect snow. The regions where lake-effect snow occurs are well defined, however, some are expanding in a warming climate.

Lake effect snow is common across the Great Lakes region during the late fall and winter. Lake Effect snow occurs when cold air, often originating from Canada, moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes.

Dec 2, 2024 · The lake-effect snow that has fallen in parts of upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan is the result of cold, moist air that blew over the Great Lakes region.

What is Lake Effect Snow? Lake Effect Snow (LES) is very common across the Great Lakes region during the late fall and winter. LES occurs when cold air, often originating from Canada, moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes.

Lake effect snow results from the interaction between cold air passing over warmer lake water generating snow that is deposited in localized regions downwind from the lake. Lake effect snow usually occurs during the late fall and winter months and is capable of producing as much as 2-3 inches of snow an hour with event totals ranging from 60 ...

Dec 2, 2024 · This study takes a closer look at how rapid changes in Great Lakes temperatures and ice impact regional atmospheric conditions and lake-effect snow. Rapidly changing Great Lake surface conditions during lake effect snow events are not accounted for in existing operational weather forecast models.

Jan 23, 2025 · In the U.S. lake effect snow commonly occurs across northern Wisconsin, western Michigan, northwestern New York, northwestern Pennsylvania and the Great Salt Lake in Utah. How is Lake Effect Snow Observed?

Dec 4, 2024 · The main difference between lake-effect snow and other snowstorms the Great Lakes Region sees during the winter months is that lake effect snow is considered “localized” meaning it is a weather...