Lake Effect Snow's Extended Season

The winter season of 2007-2008 has indeed been an unusual one. We've seen everything from derecho type wind events to record heat all in the span of one short month. Lake effect kicked off the season with quite a bang if you can remember back to early December, but what may go unnoticed by some is that this lake effect "season" may be longer than normal.

Typical lake effect snow season is between late October and continues into mid-January. The one factor that often slows the season down at this time is ice formation on the lake surfaces. Ice actually cuts off the moisture that can be given to the lower atmosphere, and in turn, lake effect snow often hits a lull around this time of year. But since this past summer was warmer than normal, and due to the occurrence of several warmer time periods throughout the winter months, ice has been slower to build on Lake Erie and Ontario. Here's to the extended lake effect snow season!

The picture above, courtesy of the National Weather Service in Buffalo, explains the basics for lake effect precipitation formation.