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21-710: Lake-effect snow occurs when cold air moves over warmer water, taking up moisture that later precipitates as snow when the air moves over land and cools. The lakes produce snowsqualls and persistently cloudy skies throughout the winter, as long as air temperatures are colder than water temperatures, or until a lake freezes over. In the United States , snowbelts are located southeast of Lake Erie from Cleveland, Ohio , to Buffalo, New York , and south of Lake Ontario stretching roughly from Rochester, New York , over Syracuse, New York , to Utica, New York , and northward to Watertown, New York . Other snowbelts are located on

42-473: A short distance ahead of the surface cold front or behind the cold front in situations where there are other contributing factors such as dynamic lifting from a deepening low pressure system or a series of trough lines which act similar to a traditional cold frontal passage. In situations where squalls develop post-frontally it is not unusual to have two or three linear squall bands pass in rapid succession only separated by 25 miles (40 km) with each passing

63-579: A significant amount of lake effect snow falls there during the months of November, December and January. The portion of ski country in Western New York is defined by a geologic formation known as the Chautauqua Ridge . As the name implies, the area is particularly popular with skiers, and there are several ski resorts that stretch from Pennsylvania into Central New York . The local ski resorts primarily offer alpine skiing while

84-886: A significant effect on the future of weather events on the snowbelt. On one hand, as temperatures increase in the area of the Great Lakes, making them free of ice for longer periods of time, snowfall could increase during lake-effect snow events and extend lake-effect snow season if the air is cold enough for snow. However the air that flows over the rivers and can create lake-effect snow will also generally become warmer over time which could lead to less overall snow and more overall lake-effect rain. The second effect will more likely affect southern lake effect regions faster as they will warm up quicker due to their more southern location. Healthy skiing industries have been established in snowbelt regions located near major cities such as Buffalo and Toronto . The Erie/Ontario snowbelt, which extends to

105-479: Is a sudden moderately heavy snowfall with blowing snow and strong, gusty surface winds . It is often referred to as a whiteout and is similar to a blizzard but is localized in time or in location and snow accumulations may or may not be significant. There are two primary types of snow squalls: lake effect and frontal. When arctic air moves over large expanses of warmer open waters in winter, convective clouds develop which cause heavy snow showers due to

126-452: Is an intense frontal convective line (similar to a squall line ), when temperature is near freezing at the surface. The strong convection that develops has enough moisture to produce whiteout conditions at places which line passes over as the wind causes intense blowing snow. This type of snow squall generally lasts less than 30 minutes at any point along its path but the motion of the line can cover large distances. Frontal squalls may form

147-819: Is the hilly, snowy portions of the boundary between the Niagara Frontier and the Southern Tier of the western part of New York . The area is a largely hilly terrain, mostly downwind from Lake Erie , Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes , along the Eastern Continental Divide between the Great Lakes , the Mississippi River and Susquehanna River watersheds. The result of this is that through orographic lift ,

168-462: Is the second smallest of the five Great Lakes and shallowest. It can completely freeze over during winter. Once frozen, lake-effect snow over land to the east and south of Lake Erie is temporarily alleviated. This does not end the possibility of a damaging winter storm. The Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 that struck metropolitan Buffalo was a direct result of powder snow blown by high winds off Lake Erie, which had frozen earlier than normal. There was, for

189-499: Is very sudden, with slippery conditions and abrupt loss of visibility due to whiteouts , which often cause multiple-vehicle collisions . In the case of lake-effect snow , heavy amounts of snow can accumulate in short periods of time, possibly causing road closures and paralyzing cities. For instance, on January 9, 2015, a localized, heavy snow squall caused a 193-vehicle pile-up on I-94 highway near Galesburg, Michigan. Warnings about lake-effect snow: Ski country Ski country

210-671: The Siberian winter high pressure system pick up moisture while crossing the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk and release it as heavy snowfall in Japan's snow country . Sweden 's east coast can be affected by similar conditions, particularly in the early winter when there is little ice on the Baltic Sea . 43°N 78°W  /  43°N 78°W  / 43; -78 Snow squall A snow squall , or snowsquall ,

231-539: The temperature difference between the water and 850 millibars (850 hPa) should be at least 23 °F (13 °C), surface temperature be around the freezing mark, the lake unfrozen, the path over the lake at least 100 kilometres (62 mi) and the directional wind shear with height should be less than 30° from the surface to 850 millibars (850 hPa). Extremely cold air over still warm water in early winter can even produce thundersnow , snow showers accompanied by lightning and thunder . A frontal snow squall

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252-507: The cold dome behind the trough is at 850 mbar instead of a higher level and must be at least −13 °F (−25 °C). The presence of surface moisture from bodies of water or preexisting liquid precipitation is also a significant contributing factor helping to raise the dew point temperature and saturate the boundary layer. This saturate can significantly increase the amount of convective available potential energy leading to deeper vertical growth and higher precipitable water levels increasing

273-532: The eastern and southern shores of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay from Parry Sound to London . During the winter, north-westerly winds cause frequent road closures, with Highway 21 on the Lake Huron coast and Highway 26 south of Georgian Bay as far east as Barrie, Ontario , being strongly affected. The Niagara Peninsula and the north-eastern shores of Lake Ontario are especially hard-hit by heavy snowfall when south-western winds are predominant. Lake Erie

294-639: The eastern shore of Lake Michigan from Gary, Indiana , northward through Western Michigan and Northern Michigan to the Straits of Mackinac , and on the eastern and southern shores of Lake Superior from northwest Wisconsin through the northern half of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan . Portions of the snowbelt are located in Ontario , Canada , which includes the eastern shore of Lake Superior from Sault Ste. Marie northward to Wawa , as well as

315-558: The lake, and an average snowfall reaching 500 inches (13 m) in the Wasatch Range. The snow, which is often very light and dry because of the semiarid climate, is referred to as the "Greatest Snow on Earth" in the mountains. Lake-effect snow contributes to roughly six to eight snowfalls per year in Salt Lake City, with about 10% of the city's precipitation being contributed by the phenomenon. Climate change will likely have

336-439: The large amount of moisture available. This occurs southwest of extratropical cyclones, with the curved cyclonic wind flow bringing cold air across the relatively warm Great Lakes which then leads to narrow lake-effect snow bands that can produce significant localized snowfall. Whiteout conditions will affect narrow corridors from shores to inland areas aligned along the prevailing wind direction. This will be enhanced when

357-540: The moving air mass is uplifted by higher elevations. The name originates from the Great Lakes area of North America , however any body of water can produce them. Regions in lee of oceans , such as the Canadian Maritimes could experience such snow squalls. The areas affected by lake-effect snow are called snowbelts and deposition rate of many inches ( centimetres ) of snow per hour are common in these situations. In order for lake-effect snow to form,

378-714: The northern slopes of the Allegheny Plateau , has lent the region its nickname: ski country . To the south of Georgian Bay, ski resorts are found on the Niagara Escarpment at Blue Mountain and on the Oro Moraine . Ocean-effect snow conditions are found on the West side of the Japanese island of Hokkaido and the west side of Russia 's Kamchatka Peninsula . There, cold winds blowing outward from

399-597: The region, no significant snowfall during the duration of the blizzard. The southern and southeastern sides of the Great Salt Lake in Utah receive significant lake-effect snow. Since the Great Salt Lake never freezes, the lake effect can influence the weather along the Wasatch Front year-round. The lake effect largely contributes to the 55–80 inches (140–203 cm) annual snowfall amounts recorded south and east of

420-446: The same point in roughly 30 minutes apart. This is similar to a line of thunderstorms in the summer but the tops of the clouds are only 5,000 to 10,000 feet (1,500 to 3,000 m), often difficult to see on radar. Forecasting these types of events is equivalent to summer severe weather forecast for squall lines: presence of a sharp frontal trough with wind shift and low level jet of more than 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph). However,

441-414: The volume of snow which can be produced by the squall. In cases where there is a large amount of vertical growth and mixing the squall may develop embedded cumulonimbus clouds resulting in lightning and thunder which is dubbed thundersnow . Both types of snow squalls are very dangerous for motorists , airplanes , and other travelers ; even can be more dangerous than blizzards . The change in conditions

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