Lake effect blizzard
Encyclopedia
Lake effect blizzard is an unofficial term used to describe blizzard
-like conditions resulting from lake-effect snow.
squalls often produce very little wind or blowing snow; in most cases winds ease underneath the squalls allowing the snow to fall nearly vertically. If the synoptic surface winds are very high and the land is relatively flat, blowing snow will often be found on either side of a single banded snow squall but usually not underneath it; in multi banded events the strong winds will be found between the bands but due to their proximity with one another and the ability for snow to drift long distances when aloft, areas which experience the strong winds will also usually experience heavy rains from the nearby squalls. The result is that blizzard-like conditions are experienced locally. Often the wind chill and visibility values will reach blizzard criteria; however the duration of the event is often slightly less than that required for a blizzard warning in both the US and Canada. Since the criteria are often just shy of that required for an official blizzard warning to be issued, the term "blizzard like condition(s)" is often used in special statements regarding the lake-effect snow event to convey the message that conditions are near that of an official blizzard.
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
-like conditions resulting from lake-effect snow.
Formation and usage
Under certain conditions strong winds can accompany lake-effect snows creating blizzard-like conditions. Lake-effect snowSnow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
squalls often produce very little wind or blowing snow; in most cases winds ease underneath the squalls allowing the snow to fall nearly vertically. If the synoptic surface winds are very high and the land is relatively flat, blowing snow will often be found on either side of a single banded snow squall but usually not underneath it; in multi banded events the strong winds will be found between the bands but due to their proximity with one another and the ability for snow to drift long distances when aloft, areas which experience the strong winds will also usually experience heavy rains from the nearby squalls. The result is that blizzard-like conditions are experienced locally. Often the wind chill and visibility values will reach blizzard criteria; however the duration of the event is often slightly less than that required for a blizzard warning in both the US and Canada. Since the criteria are often just shy of that required for an official blizzard warning to be issued, the term "blizzard like condition(s)" is often used in special statements regarding the lake-effect snow event to convey the message that conditions are near that of an official blizzard.