The lake-effect snow that has fallen in parts of upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan is the result of cold, moist air that blew over the Great Lakes region. Skip to main content.

Lake-effect snow is common when you live near a Great Lake. In many cases, 30cm to 61cm of snow will fall. The Great Lakes refer to five large lakes located in eastern North America.

A lake-effect snow warning is issued when NWS is at least 80% confident that part of the county will see six inches or more of snow in12 hours or less.

Lake-effect snow, which can last for only a few minutes to several days, develops from narrow bands of clouds that form when cold, dry arctic air passes over a large, relatively mild lake.

Winds will also be conducive to heavy lake-effect snow bands through the weekend. A west-to-northwest wind flow may cause a lake-effect snow band from Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay to join forces ...

Lake effect snow occurs when cold air moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes creating snowfall, said Lily Chapman, a meteorologist at the NWS Forecast office in Marquette.

Lake effect snow, on the other hand, is a localized phenomenon caused by cold air moving over a warmer body of water, picking up moisture and depositing it as snow when the air cools over land.

The heavy lake effect snow prompted the Buffalo Bills to ask fans for help clearing snow out of Highmark Stadium ahead of the team's game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night.

Lake-effect snow is typically localized and intense, affecting areas immediately downwind of the lake. Example: Lake-effect snow buried parts of eastern Cuyahoga County with 6 inches of snow.

The band of heavy lake effect snow will continue to shift north over Lake Erie Saturday night. Although snow will continue for Ashtabula and Lake counties, it is not going to be as heavy.

Lake effect snow occurs when cold air moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes creating snowfall, said Lily Chapman, a meteorologist at the NWS Forecast office in Marquette.