What Causes Lake Effect Snow?

Lake effect snow is different than a regular winter storm. In the winter, cold air from the North moves over the warmer waters of the Great Lakes region causing high amounts of snow. The high heat capacity of water creates the situation where water in the Great Lakes does not cool down at the same rate as the air and land surfaces near the lakes in the autumn and early winter. The same situation occurs in locations near the ocean where extratropical cyclones can form over the warmer ocean waters. One example was the Perfect Storm which occurred in October of 1991.

As winter progresses, the amount of lake effect snow that falls in areas near the Great Lakes is reduced. Typically, February and March are months when the amount of snow will not be as intense. Also termed lake-enhanced snow, these wintery storms can dump several feet of snow on an area in just a few hours...read more