What is the best conditions for lake effect snow in the keweenaw pen. It seems if we would ever get a east wind that it would have alot more fetch to pick up snow from the lake. I no you have said in the past that keweenaw can get hit hard with a light west or west south west wind. Do you ever remember keweenaw getting hit hard with lake effect snow with a east wind or north east wind. Also what is the best temputure for lake effect i know that once its gets close to 0 degress the flakes get very small.
lake effect snow in the keweenaw
- Thread starter sp123
- Start date
Best conditions would be a light wind that is just a bit south of due west. An atmosphere that already has some moisture in it, so the lake does not have to work as hard to make the clouds and snow. The ideal temps are really more about where the ice crystals are being formed in the clouds, but that usually translates to around 18-24 degrees at the surface.
East wind can generate LES in the Keweenaw, but usually an east wind is coming the result of an area of low pressure, so we usually have system snow happening at the same time. Pretty rare to have pure LES and easterly winds happening at the same time.
-John
East wind can generate LES in the Keweenaw, but usually an east wind is coming the result of an area of low pressure, so we usually have system snow happening at the same time. Pretty rare to have pure LES and easterly winds happening at the same time.
-John
I lived in Houghton for four years and can think of one really good example of pure lake effect from an east wind (or at least I think it was - John can correct me if I'm wrong as I'm sure he remembers it).
On February 2, 2009 Houghton got 25" of snow in six hours. There were reports of upwards of 30" in the Houghton/Hancock area from one heavy lake effect band. Amazing to see it snow 1" in 10-15 minutes and then keep doing it over and over again for hours.
On February 2, 2009 Houghton got 25" of snow in six hours. There were reports of upwards of 30" in the Houghton/Hancock area from one heavy lake effect band. Amazing to see it snow 1" in 10-15 minutes and then keep doing it over and over again for hours.
88skier-
I do remember that event. Nora was working at Hancock Elementary and called at around noon to ask me how long "this" would keep up. Up my way, we had only seen light snows bring a dusting to an inch through the morning. I asked what she meant by "this" and she said all the snow. I thought she was just being cute, but then told me they had gotten about 2 feet since she got there. I really thought she was joking with me, but she insisted she was not lying. I looked at some of the cams down that way and did not see a ton of new snow in other areas not too far away, so figured it was just a very localized dumping. Turns out it was. Pretty much confined to Houghton/Hancock. Calumet got about 5-7".
Not sure, but I think that was a very light wind setup, mainly out of the west.
-John
I do remember that event. Nora was working at Hancock Elementary and called at around noon to ask me how long "this" would keep up. Up my way, we had only seen light snows bring a dusting to an inch through the morning. I asked what she meant by "this" and she said all the snow. I thought she was just being cute, but then told me they had gotten about 2 feet since she got there. I really thought she was joking with me, but she insisted she was not lying. I looked at some of the cams down that way and did not see a ton of new snow in other areas not too far away, so figured it was just a very localized dumping. Turns out it was. Pretty much confined to Houghton/Hancock. Calumet got about 5-7".
Not sure, but I think that was a very light wind setup, mainly out of the west.
-John
Hmm...do you know of anywhere with historical ice maps or satellite photos of the great lakes? For some reason I remember western Lake Superior being almost totally frozen at that point and the only part of the lake capable of generating lake effect being the east half. Either way, that was an incredible snowfall and something I'm not likely to see again unless I move back to the Keweenaw (working on that). I got to ski in chest-deep powder that afternoon at Mt. Ripley...that's rare even at high altitudes out west!