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Incredible Lake Effect Snow Machine

| February 10, 2007 @ 11:51 am | 16 Replies

Here are some amazing lake effect snow totals from the past week issued early this morning by the NWS Buffalo, New York.

…OSWEGO COUNTY…
PARISH 100.0 600 AM 2/10
MEXICO 83.0 710 AM 2/10
WEST MONROE 58.0 755 AM 2/10 LIGHT SNOW

That is one hundred inches of snow. That is more than eight feet!

Persistent winds off Lake Ontario have buried the same narrow area in nearly continuous heavy snowfall since last Sunday. Snowfall rates have at times exceeded five inches per hour. Vertiually all activity has come to a standstill. Schools have bee closed for four days.

Oswego County is on the Tug Hill Plateau, east of Lake Ontario. The Tug Hill is the lake effect snow capital of the world, averaging over 300 inches of snow each year, with some winters exceeding 400 inches.

Syracuse is on the Tug Hill Plateau, a little south of Oswego County. Due to prevailing winds and geography, Syracuse’s lake effect snow machine is not as prolific, but they still claim the prize as the snowiest city in the United States, with over 115 inches annually.

The town of Montague is in Oswego County. They hold the current record for a single storm total, with 95 inches between the 11th and 14th of January back in 1997. This total from Parish may have already broken that record.

And it is not over yet…here is the NWS zone forecast for Oswego County…
NYZ006-110515-
OSWEGO-
INCLUDING THE CITY OF…OSWEGO
1000 AM EST SAT FEB 10 2007
…LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM EST MONDAY…
.TODAY…SNOW SHOWERS. A BAND OF HEAVY SNOW SLOWLY MOVING SOUTH
ACROSS THE COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION 4 TO 8
INCHES.
HIGHS IN THE MID 20S. WEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH. CHANCE OF
SNOW 80 PERCENT.
.TONIGHT…SNOW SHOWERS. BANDS OF INTENSE LAKE SNOW SOUTH PART
DRIFTING NORTH LATE. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION 8 TO 14 INCHES. LOWS
AROUND 10 ABOVE. WEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH…DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 20
MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 80 PERCENT.
.SUNDAY…SNOW SHOWERS AND BANDS OF LAKE SNOW…MAINLY NORTH
HALF. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION 6 TO 8 INCHES. HIGHS IN THE MID 20S.
SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 60 PERCENT.
.SUNDAY NIGHT…SNOW SHOWERS. LOWS AROUND 15. SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO
20 MPH…INCREASING TO 15 TO 25 MPH. CHANCE OF SNOW 80 PERCENT.
.MONDAY…SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MORNING…THEN SNOW SHOWERS LIKELY IN
THE AFTERNOON. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES IN THE MORNING. HIGHS IN
THE LOWER 20S. WEST WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH…BECOMING NORTHWEST. CHANCE
OF SNOW 80 PERCENT.
.MONDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW
SHOWERS. COLDER WITH LOWS 5 TO 10 ABOVE.
.TUESDAY…MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 15 TO 20.
.TUESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW.
LOWS ZERO TO 5 ABOVE.
.WEDNESDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
HIGHS 15 TO 20.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW
SHOWERS. LOWS ZERO TO 10 ABOVE.
.THURSDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
HIGHS AROUND 20.
.THURSDAY NIGHT…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW
SHOWERS. LOWS 5 TO 10 ABOVE.
.FRIDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS.
HIGHS IN THE LOWER 20S.

There could be another 40 inches before this is over!

Here is a radar image from the NWS Doppler Radar at Montague, NY from shortly after 11:30 a.m. CST this morning…

https://www.jamesspann.com/wximages/KTYX.jpg

That does it! Pack my bags…we’re moving!

Lake effect snow oocurs when cold, dry air flows across the relatively warm waters (in this case of the Great Lakes.) Moisture is picked up, causing clouds and precipitation to form. As the winds reach the shore, the air is lifted as it flows up the terrain and some tremendous snowfall amounts can occur when winds prevail from one direction for a while.

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About the Author ()

Bill Murray is the President of The Weather Factory. He is the site's official weather historian and a weekend forecaster. He also anchors the site's severe weather coverage. Bill Murray is the proud holder of National Weather Association Digital Seal #0001 @wxhistorian

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