Lake Effect Snow Warning
Encyclopedia
A Lake Effect Snow Warning is a bulletin issued by the National Weather Service
in the United States
to warn of heavy snowfall amounts that are imminent from convective snow generated by very cold airmass passing over unfrozen lakes. The criteria for amounts may vary significantly over different county warning areas.
Environment Canada
's Meteorological Service of Canada
issues similar warnings but they are called Snowsquall warning
s.
PROVO INCLUDING THE TOWNS OF SPRINGVILLE...SPANISH FORK...PAYSON
AND SANTAQUIN.
SNOW...MAINLY IN THE FAVORED AREA SOUTH OF PROVO.
STRONGER LATE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...DIMINISHING AROUND MID
MORNING FRIDAY.
SPOTS TO DEVELOP TONIGHT. WHERE ADDITIONAL SNOW FALLS...ROADS
WILL BECOME SNOW PACKED AND VISIBILITIES MAY LOCALLY BE REDUCED
BELOW A HALF MILE. DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS MAY MATERIALIZE
OVERNIGHT. MOTORISTS SHOULD USE CAUTION.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF LAKE-
EFFECT SNOW ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. LAKE-EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS
TYPICALLY ALIGN THEMSELVES IN BANDS AND PRODUCE HEAVY SNOW WITH
SUDDEN RESTRICTIONS IN VISIBILITY. DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY BE
HAZARDOUS AT TIMES. USE CAUTION. KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...
FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
FOR WINTER ROAD CONDITIONS FROM THE UTAH DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION VISIT...HTTP://WWW.COMMUTERLINK.UTAH.GOV OR DIAL
511.
&&
$$
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to warn of heavy snowfall amounts that are imminent from convective snow generated by very cold airmass passing over unfrozen lakes. The criteria for amounts may vary significantly over different county warning areas.
Environment Canada
Environment Canada
Environment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
's Meteorological Service of Canada
Meteorological Service of Canada
The Meteorological Service of Canada , also known as "The Canadian Weather Service", is a division of Environment Canada, which primarily provides public meteorological information and weather forecasts and warnings of severe weather and other environmental hazards...
issues similar warnings but they are called Snowsquall warning
Snowsquall warning
Snowsquall warning is a bulletin issued by Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada to warn population of two types of snow events reducing visibilities in blowing snow:...
s.
Examples
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
314 PM MST THU DEC 30 2010
UTZ004-310700-
/O.NEW.KSLC.LE.W.0001.101230T2214Z-101231T1700Z/
SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LEHI...PROVO...NEPHI
314 PM MST THU DEC 30 2010
...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM MST FRIDAY...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SALT LAKE CITY HAS ISSUED A LAKE
EFFECT SNOW WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM MST FRIDAY.
- AFFECTED AREA: THE SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT...MAINLY SOUTH OF
PROVO INCLUDING THE TOWNS OF SPRINGVILLE...SPANISH FORK...PAYSON
AND SANTAQUIN.
- SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: AN ADDITIONAL THREE TO SIX INCHES OF
SNOW...MAINLY IN THE FAVORED AREA SOUTH OF PROVO.
- TIMING: LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS LATE THIS AFTERNOON WILL BECOME
STRONGER LATE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...DIMINISHING AROUND MID
MORNING FRIDAY.
- IMPACTS: THE VERY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL CAUSE NUMEROUS ICY
SPOTS TO DEVELOP TONIGHT. WHERE ADDITIONAL SNOW FALLS...ROADS
WILL BECOME SNOW PACKED AND VISIBILITIES MAY LOCALLY BE REDUCED
BELOW A HALF MILE. DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS MAY MATERIALIZE
OVERNIGHT. MOTORISTS SHOULD USE CAUTION.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF LAKE-
EFFECT SNOW ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. LAKE-EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS
TYPICALLY ALIGN THEMSELVES IN BANDS AND PRODUCE HEAVY SNOW WITH
SUDDEN RESTRICTIONS IN VISIBILITY. DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY BE
HAZARDOUS AT TIMES. USE CAUTION. KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...
FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
FOR WINTER ROAD CONDITIONS FROM THE UTAH DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION VISIT...HTTP://WWW.COMMUTERLINK.UTAH.GOV OR DIAL
511.
&&
$$
See also
- Severe weather terminology (United States)Severe weather terminology (United States)This article describes the United States National Weather Service severe weather terminology. The NWS defines precise meanings for nearly all its weather terms. This article describes NWS terminology and related NWS weather scales...
- Lake effect snowLake effect snowLake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when cold winds move across long expanses of warmer lake water, providing energy and picking up water vapor which freezes and is deposited on the leeward shores...
- Lake Effect Snow AdvisoryLake Effect Snow AdvisoryA Lake Effect Snow Advisory is issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when lake effect snow may pose a hazard or is life threatening. The snow must be completely caused by a convective snow development over a lake and not by a low pressure system...
- SnowsquallSnowsquallA snowsquall is a sudden moderately heavy snow fall with blowing snow and strong, gusty surface winds. It is often referred to as a whiteout and is similar to a blizzard but is localized in time or in space and snow accumulations may or may not be significant.-Lake effect snow:When arctic air...