Lake-Effect Snow:
Parts of upstate New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan, situated along the Great Lakes of North America, witnessed “lake-effect snow.”
- A heavy snowstorm caused by this phenomenon near Lake Erie in New York has transformed homes into ice-covered igloos.
- Lake-effect snow is a localized weather phenomenon characterized by heavy snowfall that occurs near large bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes in North America.
- It typically happens during colder months when cold air passes over relatively warmer lake surfaces, resulting in intense and narrow bands of snowfall.
- Cold Air Movement: Cold air often from Canada, flows over the unfrozen, warmer waters of the Great Lakes in North America.
- The lakes transfer heat and moisture to the cold air at the surface.
- The warm, moist air rises, cools rapidly in the colder atmosphere above, and condenses to form clouds.
- These clouds develop into narrow bands that produce intense snowfall, often at rates of 2–3 inches or more per hour.
