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Lake Effect Snow

Lake Effect Snow


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What is the difference in snow conditions between salt water lake effect (Great Salt Lake with the Wasatch range) and fresh water lake effect (lake Tahoe and the Sierras)?

Brett P.

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This one is a tough one and I'll actually add more links and information to this answer later in the week when I have more time to work on this question.

Lake effect snow is one of the most exciting types of snow around. It happens when very cold air moves over a relatively warm lake. The warm water below then evaporates into the air. As that air rises, it cools and condenses, forms clouds and then snow falls from those clouds downwind from the lake.

Some lake effect events over the Great Lakes can last and have lasted days at a time and are able to drop more than 7 feet of snow in a week's time!

All lake effect forms the same way, whether we have salt water or fresh water. What is different about the Great Salt Lake is the topography of the land around the lake and...the salt! Our lake effect in Utah can be enhanced as air is then forced even more to rise over the mountains, we then get into orographic uplifting of air which then, creates even more snow.

So to answer your question in more detail, we'll have to wait until Wednesday of this week, and hopefully we can get to the bottom of this.

The evaporation rate of salt water and fresh water is different, this may make for some small scale difference in our lake effect snow in Utah vs. the Great Lakes.

Answered by (but still working on) KSL Meteorologist Dina Freedman

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