I’ve known for quite some time now (thanks to the local weather forecast) that there is such a thing as Lake-effect snow and that certain places near the major Lakes get dumpings of snow when the rest of us have none.  I’d venture that the majority of us know this, but I never really knew why.  Guess I never thought about it why.  Guess I never really cared. 

But now, Thanks to this month’s issue of SnowGoer, I do know why.  They’ve written up a little mini-article industry fact detailing why Lake effect snow happens.  They’ve even said where it is likely to happen, which is a handy bit of information because if you know where that snow is likely to be you can figure out where to plan for riding even in snow-deprived winters.

Primarily we’re talking around the Great Lakes here.  Apparently what happens is that cold air moves over warm open water over the lakes and creates instability and temperature variations.  This situation causes cloud and snow formation. 

 The clouds are slowed once they hit land on the other side of the lake, so the newly created snow clouds go nowhere fast; sometimes they even stop for days.  But since the cold air that sparked them cannot hold moisture well, their contents are spilled in the form of snow, usually light snow but it can really pile up (because it doesn’t go far from the lakes, which is why the rest of us farther east don’t benefit).  Various factors determine how much snow falls and how widespread it is.

Because of normal wind and weather patterns, you can guess what regions will get lake effect snow.  It’s normally the Southeast or Eastern shores of the lake.  Most of us are probably more familiar with this as a Great Lakes phenomenon in the Northeast, but  it also applies to the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

Just a bit of weather trivia I thought I’d share.  To access a much better explanantion of Lake effect snow you can read the blurb in the latest issue of SnowGoer Magazine.