Who will be Chasing Lake Effect Snowstorms this Fall and Winter.

[mikegeukes]

Chasing Lake Effect Snow/Snowstorms.
Just wondering, how many of you will be Chasing
Lake Effect Snow/Snowstorms this Fall and Winter.

Mike

 

[Chris Kennedy]

please excuse my ignorance (it never snows where I live) but whats the fun in chasing a snowstorm?

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

please excuse my ignorance (it never snows where I live) but whats the fun in chasing a snowstorm?

The fact it is a storm. If it never snows there I'd think you'd get it more. Lots of people love snow storms.

I like to witness anything more than ordinary weather. Extreme ice-storms are interesting, as are strong blizzards, or even very heavy dumpings of snow. I've actually been pondering getting a good lake effect snow chase in this year if I can afford it. I just wish the good banding areas weren't THAT far from here. I looked on a map and was like, hmmmm, that is indeed a long long drive from here(NY). I used a map just because I'd been planning to go to Yellowstone too, and have that drive figured out on time, and compared the two. I guess maybe they are quite similar now that I look again.

 

[Scott Weberpal]

I'll likely be "chasing" lake effect snow along the western Great Lakes this winter. Given Milwaukee is only 40 minutes away, it's not an overly exhausting "chase" as many snowstorm chases are. Two years ago for fun I decided to traverse a classic upper-midwest snow/ice storm starting in S. WI in near blizzard conditions, driving through N. IL in snow turning to ice, and ending in rain in Springfield, IL. It was fun, but exhausting at the same time; what is normally a 3 hour drive took me nearly 6 hours to complete.

Typically in WI we don't get horrible ice storms as we're always on the cold side of things, but sometime this winter I'd like to endure a day or two in a heavy ice storm.

I know of at least one chaser who is originally from the Great Lakes region and now lives in OK who travels up here regularly for snowstorms.

Mike, Milwaukee (~8 hours from you) frequently gets lake effect snow events of greater than 8-10" earlier in winter (Nov.-Dec.). Just wait for a deep sfc low to cross Central or Southern Illinois and a good ENE/NE fetch off Lake Michigan. Because of the MKE/Chicago metro, infrastructure is great for for chasing snowstorms with good roads/plowing, and more than ample places to stay. I can't say we get the frequency/intensity that the Buffalo area gets, but it may be a more economical option.

 

[Chip Redmond]

Lake effect snow storms are one of a kind. I will definitely be chasing alot of lake effect storms this year. The way it snows is unlike any other winter storm. You can get a foot of snow around your house and then none a block away. The way the snow falls gives great opportunities for photo shoots. I don't have any pictures readily available to share with yall at the moment but I have gotten some great ones in the past. One measly cloud can drop a decent amount of snow and stick out in a otherwise clear sky. I have gotten some great shots of the sun setting withing a snow shower. Since the snow comes down so hard you get some great contrasting shots of complete white outs against nothing. One of my favorite things to do is get into a open area with a dark background and take still frames and make a time lapse of the snow coming across the area.

I will chase in northeast Ohio and maybe go up to NY at least once this year. A bonus of living in Ohio, the snow usually finds you and you don't have to travel at all!

Where the most snow will fall is very hard to predict a day away. You only know where it is going to snow that much when it starts which gives a very unique, difficult, but learning experience to try to forecast the big snow totals. I love winter.

Chip

 

[Dan Robinson]

I want to do at least one this year if I can. The last LE event I chased was back in December of 2006, from Buffalo to west of Erie. I didn't see the thundersnow I was after, but the snowfall rates were pretty insane.

I may not have to travel to get the same stuff, though. There is, from what I can tell, an orographic feature of some sort near Beckley, West Virginia that focuses intense snow bands in a small area in and around the city during nearly every good upslope event. The Beckley airport ASOS reports thundersnow in these bands several times every winter. I was in one of those bands this past season (sans thundersnow) and it was every bit as intense as a lake effect event. I could not see an inch in front of my car.

I would like to do an early season lake effect event, when thundersnow chances are at the maximum. Erie is not too far from my parent's house near Pittsburgh, so it's not that excessive of a trip.

 

[mikegeukes]

I find lake effect snows, interesting, especially the variability of
the snowfalls totals. I gone from Grand Rapids, Michigan where
no snow have fallen and arrived in Grand Haven with 6 inches on
the ground. I like to see the individual snow showers while driving
or looking out the windows at home. When a good band sets up,
you can see lots of snow in a short period of time. Sometimes,
you get thundersnow.

The hazards of driving in Lake Effect Snow, can be low visibilities
and sometimes white-out conditions and slippery roads.

Best area in Michigan for Lake Effect Snows is in the Upper Peninsula.
especially the Keweenaw Peninsula. The Tug Hill Plateau in New York
is famous for its Lake Effect Snows.

Here is a couple of links showing the importance of wind direction
along the leeward side of Lake Michigan.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/grr/education/windAndLakeEffectSnow/
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/apx/?n=les

Mike

 

[Jason Foster]

Well intercept....not chase is more like it.

please excuse my ignorance (it never snows where I live) but whats the fun in chasing a snowstorm?

As many have said...it certainly is a unique and extreme condition. For me, growing up just outside DC, snow has always been a big story. For it's about the stories and tales that come from these events. The way that big snow events shut down cities and cut people off. It can humble even the best of the self sustaining individuals. In modern terms, snow is not the great equalizer it once was, but snow events still make everyday life near impossible.

I will say that I don't really call it lake affect "chasing", more of an "intercept" similar to my hurricane intercepts. In many ways, because of the large scale, you don't have to really pin point a spot to get the best conditions say with tornado. You can pretty much get the worst of it within a matter of 20-100 miles. That's even easier than tracking the eye of a hurricane.

Lake affects for me mean the well known worst areas of Syracuse and Buffalo New York. However, it really can be anywhere in Ohio, Pennsylvania, or New York. I have not ventured into these areas before, but certainly plan on it this season (pending new vehicle acquisition). I tend to like to be fully sufficient with all my food and other supplies within the vehicle, so I don't have to depend on hotels....which is quite different than plains chasing for me. I even thought about trying some winter camping this year.

Below is some of my previous winter stuff
http://www.weatherwarrior.net/winter.html

 

[Dan Robinson]

What makes a lake effect chase a little dicey is how localized and intense the bands can be, as others have said. You can get a hotel room and not get any snow even if the band is 10 miles away. It is not easy nor very advisable to be mobile within a band. The area between lakeshore towns and cities can be pretty desolate, you could easily get stuck in a remote area trying to 'intercept'. I-90 between Buffalo and Erie is suprisingly rural, with few exits and gas stations. I would be nervous taking a car into a strong band there especially at night. The upside to those areas is that they are well-equipped for snow removal, so the main roads are not as bad as they could be.

 

[Chris Kennedy]

I have now learned my new weather education for the day

 

[Jason Foster]

Dan, your absolutely right about driving during the main burst of snow. I didn't really want to get into details on "how to" do snow storm intercepts. For me it is a hard core snow thing to be out in the snow and cold. I've done it before, so have some experience there. Now if I was in sedan or something, that would be different, but a nice Caravan that can be set-up with DVD players and with 0 degree rated sleeping bad with food and provisions while you are stuck is the way I plan it. I would plan to be in a town when the snow gets to be too much to travel it, but these supplies also come in hand for the unexpected as well. Also, having communications and such, I'm never far from calling for help should I need it. Overall, like a hurricane, I would plan to be in the area prior to the storm, so as to do the minimal amount of driving as possible.

Perhaps with a few of us possibly looking to do it this season, we make actually have the first winter chaser convergence...lol.

 

[Mike Kovalchick]

Certainly I will be "chasing" lake effect storms. In fact, I may head up to my second home in Otsego County(Near APX) this evening as the first lake effect snow showers of the season may develop with freezing levels dropping to about 1200 to 1400 feet above the ground. I selected the location of my second home solely to be near the center of the Lake Michigan snow belt. (FYI...I believe that to be on Hayes Tower(elev 1500 feet) which is the highest point in Otsego Co..and couple of other hills in Eastern Antrim Co near Elmira.) Snow depths at my place were consistently higher than anywhere in the LP last year so I think I picked the right spot!

My love of these storms started early...back in the 1970's when I would be amazed by news reports coming out of Buffalo being buried by these storms. It's the localized nature, the characteristic cloud patterns and the shear intensity of these storms which draws me to them.

FYI...BUFKIT is the way to go to forecast these storms. Below is the profile for APX for this evening. Winds will be out of the NW(which often creates a Lake Superior connection to the over water "fetch"), little wind shear, 20 mph winds speeds through the column which is about perfect to create the maximum flux off the lake that will penetrate inland, adequate moisture depth which should extend above -12 C isotherm creating a nice snow growth region in the cloud. The downside will be the warm surface temperatures, sinking air, and moisture starting to move out of the region. Probably a 50/50 chance there will be just enough cold air in place prior to the moisture stripping away to produce the lake snow in the highest elevations. Tonight around midnight, you might want to check out this webcam: http://www.wildernesspines.com/LiveCam.htm The elevation there might be just a bit too low to see any lake snow but if any more intense convection rolls goes through..they might get something.

 

[beaudodson]

Chasing Lake Effect Snow/Snowstorms.
Just wondering, how many of you will be Chasing
Lake Effect Snow/Snowstorms this Fall and Winter.

Mike

I will be. Can't wait for that first big snow! In the midst of building, so it will make things a little more difficult to break away. Still, anxious for a good snow event!