 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
What causes lake effect snow? |
||||||||
|
||||||||
| Lake effect snow is caused when very cold air flows over the relatively warmer water of a large lake. Intense evaporation from the lake surface under these conditions forms convective clouds that can not contain all of this water, and some of it falls back to the surface as snow. Lake effect snow showers often form into bands or lines, with abrupt edges to the falling snow. One location can receive a foot of snow, while another location just a few miles away receives only flurries. Buffalo, New York is probably the most famous location for receiving large amounts of lake effect snow. The convective clouds of lake effect snow showers do not reach the heights attained by thunderstorms, with tops seldom exceeding 12,000 feet in altitude compared to 40,000 to 60,000 feet for thunderstorms. Once the lake surface cools to near 32 degrees F in the late winter, the lake effect snow mechanism weakens considerably, and if the lake freezes, it stops altogether. | ||||||||
| Interesting facts: | ||||||||
| BUFFALO RECORD SNOWFALL A lake effect snow band coming off of Lake Erie during December 9-10, 1995, dropped 38 in. of snow in only 24 hours, paralyzing the city. | ||||||||
|
Dr. Roy W. Spencer: GLOBAL WARMING: Manmade or Natural? Now IN-STOCK at Amazon.com: CLIMATE CONFUSION: How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians, and Misguided Policies that Hurt the Poor 
|
||||||||
|
Get your Weather, without the annoying popups, from 
|
||||||||
| WeatherQuestions.com home | ||||||||
|
||||||||
| Copyright© 2007 WeatherStreet | ||||||||