Why does the middle of the UP get so much more snow than the rest of the UP or WI when the wind is blowing from the North? Does it have to do with the width of the lake and the wind has more surface area to travel acrossed to pick up moisture? Just seems like when I look at thr radar it only shows lake effect in the middle. Thanks for any info.
Lake effect snow and the lake
- Thread starter wolfriver
- Start date
I think that it may have something to do with the different hills in the central area. I thought it's not on radar in the West because it doesn't reach that far or something like that. I thought I read it on here last year when the same question was asked.
I know that where our camp is located in the central yoop, if you go a mile or two south snow is drastically diminished. We'll have 3 feet at our place and less than a foot a mile or two south. You can smell sliders. There are different big hills and I think that has a lot to do with it.
I know that where our camp is located in the central yoop, if you go a mile or two south snow is drastically diminished. We'll have 3 feet at our place and less than a foot a mile or two south. You can smell sliders. There are different big hills and I think that has a lot to do with it.
Two things going on here:
1) When winds are out of the north, you do have more lake the air can travel over and thus be heated and pick up moisture and lead to LES. So a northerly wind is the best directions for areas from western Marquette County east to areas around Picture Rocks and inland.
2) Radar does not pick up LES very well. Because most of the LES cloud and precip activity happens in the lower levels of the atmosphere and because the earths surface is curved, the radar shoots over the top of the LES clouds. The higher terrain just to the NW of the Marquette radar can also block out some of the signals off to the NW, but it is mostly due to the curve of the earth.
So in a north wind, the western UP is also getting hit with LES, but it is just not showing up on radar. Webcams become your good friend in LES season!
-John
1) When winds are out of the north, you do have more lake the air can travel over and thus be heated and pick up moisture and lead to LES. So a northerly wind is the best directions for areas from western Marquette County east to areas around Picture Rocks and inland.
2) Radar does not pick up LES very well. Because most of the LES cloud and precip activity happens in the lower levels of the atmosphere and because the earths surface is curved, the radar shoots over the top of the LES clouds. The higher terrain just to the NW of the Marquette radar can also block out some of the signals off to the NW, but it is mostly due to the curve of the earth.
So in a north wind, the western UP is also getting hit with LES, but it is just not showing up on radar. Webcams become your good friend in LES season!
-John