your leaving florida ... may i ask why? I lived down there awhile.. and to tell you the truth this is better... even now..youngbuckfl;3766699; said:
i am snowed in..... Lot's of pics .....
- Thread starter Red Devil
- Start date
Grew up in WV, my ex-fatherr-in-law didn't have running water in his house.
In the winter we had to hook the horses to the sled and take 4-55 gallon drums down a 4-mile hill to fill with water from the creek, using buckets.
Then, covered with ice, we had the long 4-mile ride back up the hill where we had to siphon the water into the drums in his basement.
I love to look out the windows at the snow, but those memories are still haunting me.
I enjoy snow for about 1 week, then I'm ready for springtime.
Beautiful pictures ! Love the collie.
I now live in Joplin,MO with 2 dogs, 2 cats, a cockatiel and 5 fish.
Stay warm and safe, drink lots of hot cocoa and watch the fireplace, that's my idea of enjoying winter.
In the winter we had to hook the horses to the sled and take 4-55 gallon drums down a 4-mile hill to fill with water from the creek, using buckets.
Then, covered with ice, we had the long 4-mile ride back up the hill where we had to siphon the water into the drums in his basement.
I love to look out the windows at the snow, but those memories are still haunting me.
I enjoy snow for about 1 week, then I'm ready for springtime.
Beautiful pictures ! Love the collie.
I now live in Joplin,MO with 2 dogs, 2 cats, a cockatiel and 5 fish.
Stay warm and safe, drink lots of hot cocoa and watch the fireplace, that's my idea of enjoying winter.
id take a picture of our outside but its nothing compared to that lake effect snow. and my camera sucks....
Absolutely fantastic photos, that picture of the snow blowing machine is awesome! Your collie is gorgeous.
You should hear all the complaints here on Long Island about how cold it is this year, LOL this puts it in persective doesnt it.
Hope everything goes relatively uneventful for you and you can enjoy the awesome beauty of it as best you can.
Thank you for sharing, post more pictures please
You should hear all the complaints here on Long Island about how cold it is this year, LOL this puts it in persective doesnt it.
Hope everything goes relatively uneventful for you and you can enjoy the awesome beauty of it as best you can.
Thank you for sharing, post more pictures please
i know the jobs r bad every where or lack of but fl is really bad and i miss the 30" of snow and i miss it up there .
Red Devil;3766720; said:your leaving florida ... may i ask why? I lived down there awhile.. and to tell you the truth this is better... even now..
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]What Makes Lake Effect Snows so Unique?[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lake effect snows are extremely localized snow storms that occur downwind of the Great Lakes in the late fall and winter. Lake effect snows typically form discrete, narrow bands of snow, which are often characterized by intense snowfall and limited visibility. The bands occur throughout the Great Lakes region, both in the United States and Canada. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The main difference between a lake effect snow and a standard snowstorm is the area that is blanketed by such events. In a large scale snowstorm, such as a Noreaster, snow may cover several states at one time. In a lake effect storm, the snowfall may be confined to only a portion of a county. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Lake effect snow occurs when cold air, often originating from Canada, moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes. As the cold air passes over its unfrozen, relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, its warmth and moisture are transferred into the lowest portion of the atmosphere. As this warm air rises and cools, its moisture condenses, leading to cloud formation and ultimately snow on the downwind (or leeward) sides of the Great Lakes. The wind direction determines where the snowband will occur. Because winds accompanying arctic air masses generally originate from a westerly direction, lake effect snow typically falls on the east or southeast sides of the Great Lakes. (Click NOAA image above for a larger view of diagram showing lake effect snow event. Please credit NOAA.)[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]While a typical winter storm lasts a few hours to a few days, lake effect snow often produces snow continuously for up to 48 hours in a particular area. Snowfall rates from a single intense band of lake effect snow can approach six inches per hour at times. As long as the wind remains steady and out of the same direction, a single band of lake effect snow can remain stationary for several hours or, in rare instances, several days at a time.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
"Another unique aspect of lake effect snows is the extreme variability that can occur in space and time," said Niziol. "It is not uncommon for sunny skies at a particular location to be quickly replaced by blinding, wind-driven snowfall in a matter of minutes." Similarly, snowfall accumulations can vary from trace amounts to a couple feet over a very short distance (i.e., several miles). One of the more challenging aspects of forecasting lake effect snow is pinpointing exactly where the heaviest snow will occur because even small changes in wind direction can significantly alter the areas to be impacted. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]When heavy lake effect snow is expected, a variety of Lake Effect Snow Watches, Warnings and Advisories can be issued by the NOAA National Weather Service. Exact snowfall criteria differ across geographic regions in the Great Lakes. The following criteria apply to areas of the eastern Great Lakes:[/FONT]
How does the NOAA National Weather Service Forecast Lake Effect Snow?[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Because lake effect snows impact such a small geographic region, it was only recently that they could be predicted by NOAAs regional and national scale computer models. Forecasters also rely on locally developed methods to predict such events. Forecasters at the Buffalo office for example, used lessons learned from years of operational experience and rules of thumb to develop their own forecast tool called BUFKIT. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BUFKIT is a computer application that uses high-resolution numerical weather prediction data to enhance forecasts for local scale snowstorms near the Great Lakes. The local scale data sets are interpolated from hourly forecast data from one of NOAAs National Centers for Environmental Prediction models. The data is collaborated by voluntary local snow spotters. BUFKIT quickly and easily streamlines the process of assimilating these data sets for operational use in the real-time forecast environment. The data sets are extremely well-tailored for the prediction of lake-effect snow because they provide the high degree of temporal and vertical resolution necessary to evaluate these local scale events.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Originally designed in the early 1990s to help predict lake effect snow, BUFKIT is so successful and user friendly that its use has been expanded to include other local scale weather predictions, including floods, thunderstorms and high winds. Today, BUFKIT is being used at more than one hundred locations throughout the United States and Canada. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Can Lake Effect Snow Occur in Areas other than the Great Lakes? [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Although the term lake effect snow refers to storms occurring on the Great Lakes region, in theory, anywhere cold air move across a warm body of water (lakes, bays, oceans and even reservoirs), the same mechanisms will produce similar local scale snows. For example, similar snow storms are known to occur off the Great Salt Lake in Utah, Finger Lakes region in New York state and Lake Champlain bordering Vermont and New York. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bay effect snows have been observed in Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, and Massachusetts Bay/Cape Cod and even continental land masses passing over open ocean waters have produced ocean effect snows near Long Island Sound, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Canadian Maritimes. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A phenomenon similar to the lake effect snow may also occur in other parts of the world, near large lakes and other regions such as the Sea of Japan, Bay of Finland and in Scandinavia near the Baltic Sea.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]To more accurately measure the snow that fell from such localized storms, the office trained hundreds of volunteers from across the region to call in snowfall measurements. The network provides forecasters with real-time updates on conditions and snowfall accumulations. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]What is NOAA doing to improve Lake Effect Snow forecasts in the future?[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NOAA continues working to improve lake effect snow forecasts using satellite data, advanced high resolution computer models and collaborative partnerships:[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]One of the best ways to monitor and track lake effect snow during the winter season is to go to the Buffalo Weather Forecast Office Web page (or other NOAA National Weather Service forecast offices across the Great Lakes region) and use the Buffalo local weather radars to track the movement of the lake effect snow bands in near real time. If you want to learn more about the topic or look back at lake effect snow storms on the eastern Great Lakes, go to the NWS Buffalo Lake Effect Snow Page. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lake effect snows are extremely localized snow storms that occur downwind of the Great Lakes in the late fall and winter. Lake effect snows typically form discrete, narrow bands of snow, which are often characterized by intense snowfall and limited visibility. The bands occur throughout the Great Lakes region, both in the United States and Canada. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The main difference between a lake effect snow and a standard snowstorm is the area that is blanketed by such events. In a large scale snowstorm, such as a Noreaster, snow may cover several states at one time. In a lake effect storm, the snowfall may be confined to only a portion of a county. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Lake effect snow occurs when cold air, often originating from Canada, moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes. As the cold air passes over its unfrozen, relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes, its warmth and moisture are transferred into the lowest portion of the atmosphere. As this warm air rises and cools, its moisture condenses, leading to cloud formation and ultimately snow on the downwind (or leeward) sides of the Great Lakes. The wind direction determines where the snowband will occur. Because winds accompanying arctic air masses generally originate from a westerly direction, lake effect snow typically falls on the east or southeast sides of the Great Lakes. (Click NOAA image above for a larger view of diagram showing lake effect snow event. Please credit NOAA.)[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]While a typical winter storm lasts a few hours to a few days, lake effect snow often produces snow continuously for up to 48 hours in a particular area. Snowfall rates from a single intense band of lake effect snow can approach six inches per hour at times. As long as the wind remains steady and out of the same direction, a single band of lake effect snow can remain stationary for several hours or, in rare instances, several days at a time.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]When heavy lake effect snow is expected, a variety of Lake Effect Snow Watches, Warnings and Advisories can be issued by the NOAA National Weather Service. Exact snowfall criteria differ across geographic regions in the Great Lakes. The following criteria apply to areas of the eastern Great Lakes:[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lake Effect Snow Watches mean that conditions in the atmosphere are primed to produce lake effect snow. Watches are issued from 24 to 36 hours in advance of an anticipated event.[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lake Effect Snow Warnings mean that more than seven inches of snow are expected in a 12 hour period or more than nine inches of snow in a 24 hour period.[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lake Effect Snow Advisories mean that four to seven inches of snow are expected in a 12-hour period.[/FONT]
How does the NOAA National Weather Service Forecast Lake Effect Snow?[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Because lake effect snows impact such a small geographic region, it was only recently that they could be predicted by NOAAs regional and national scale computer models. Forecasters also rely on locally developed methods to predict such events. Forecasters at the Buffalo office for example, used lessons learned from years of operational experience and rules of thumb to develop their own forecast tool called BUFKIT. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BUFKIT is a computer application that uses high-resolution numerical weather prediction data to enhance forecasts for local scale snowstorms near the Great Lakes. The local scale data sets are interpolated from hourly forecast data from one of NOAAs National Centers for Environmental Prediction models. The data is collaborated by voluntary local snow spotters. BUFKIT quickly and easily streamlines the process of assimilating these data sets for operational use in the real-time forecast environment. The data sets are extremely well-tailored for the prediction of lake-effect snow because they provide the high degree of temporal and vertical resolution necessary to evaluate these local scale events.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Originally designed in the early 1990s to help predict lake effect snow, BUFKIT is so successful and user friendly that its use has been expanded to include other local scale weather predictions, including floods, thunderstorms and high winds. Today, BUFKIT is being used at more than one hundred locations throughout the United States and Canada. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Can Lake Effect Snow Occur in Areas other than the Great Lakes? [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Although the term lake effect snow refers to storms occurring on the Great Lakes region, in theory, anywhere cold air move across a warm body of water (lakes, bays, oceans and even reservoirs), the same mechanisms will produce similar local scale snows. For example, similar snow storms are known to occur off the Great Salt Lake in Utah, Finger Lakes region in New York state and Lake Champlain bordering Vermont and New York. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bay effect snows have been observed in Delaware Bay, Chesapeake Bay, and Massachusetts Bay/Cape Cod and even continental land masses passing over open ocean waters have produced ocean effect snows near Long Island Sound, the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Canadian Maritimes. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A phenomenon similar to the lake effect snow may also occur in other parts of the world, near large lakes and other regions such as the Sea of Japan, Bay of Finland and in Scandinavia near the Baltic Sea.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]To more accurately measure the snow that fell from such localized storms, the office trained hundreds of volunteers from across the region to call in snowfall measurements. The network provides forecasters with real-time updates on conditions and snowfall accumulations. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]What is NOAA doing to improve Lake Effect Snow forecasts in the future?[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NOAA continues working to improve lake effect snow forecasts using satellite data, advanced high resolution computer models and collaborative partnerships:[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Satellites: [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NOAA is using satellites to help track and forecast lake effect snow. NOAA geostationary operational environmental satellites (GOES) are being used to monitor the location and movement of lake effect snow bands both during the day and night using infrared satellite technologies. NOAA also uses its polar-orbiting environmental satellites (POES) to obtain accurate lake surface temperatures an important factor in determining the potential for lake effect snow using Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (or AVHRR) remote sensing technology. The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory then uses this data in combination with ice cover data from the NOAA National Ice Center to compile digital maps known as the daily Great Lakes Surface Environmental Analysis (or GLSEA). This information is then fed into computer models to predict snowfall in the Great Lakes region.[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Models:[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Over the past 10 years, new and improved numerical models and forecast techniques have greatly improved lake effect snow forecasts. For example, because of increased spatial and temporal resolution in NOAAs regional and national scale models, many meteorological parameters associated with the Great Lakes can now be incorporated into these models, including Great Lakes surface temperatures. NOAAs research efforts are also concentrating on real-time mesoscale numerical models that will predict not only the location and movement of lake effect snow, but accurate snowfall amounts as well.[/FONT]
- [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Collaborative Partnerships:[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] NOAAs National Weather Service Forecast Office in Buffalo, N.Y., is involved in a NOAA-funded Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) project wiith the State University of New York at Oswego to evaluate computer models designed to help further improve Lake Effect Snow forecasts. The Buffalo Weather Forecast Office, located near the Canadian border, also coordinates the Great Lakes Workshop on Operational Meteorology, an annual conference dedicated to share new forecast techniques and technology to improve the prediction of all types of weather associated with the Great Lakes region.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]One of the best ways to monitor and track lake effect snow during the winter season is to go to the Buffalo Weather Forecast Office Web page (or other NOAA National Weather Service forecast offices across the Great Lakes region) and use the Buffalo local weather radars to track the movement of the lake effect snow bands in near real time. If you want to learn more about the topic or look back at lake effect snow storms on the eastern Great Lakes, go to the NWS Buffalo Lake Effect Snow Page. [/FONT]
