Why does the Great Salt Lake create lake effect snow?

Thanks to the heavy salt load, the majority of the Great Salt Lake never freezes, allowing it to interface directly with the surrounding atmosphere. According to Steenburgh, our lake effect storms occur when fairly cold westerly, northwesterly, or northerly storms move across the lake toward the Wasatch Mountains.



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Lake-effect snow generally doesn't fall over the water because it needs the friction and topography of the land to bring out the snow. Winds usually blow west to east in the Northern Hemisphere, so the lake-enhanced snow is pushed to the eastern side of the Great Lakes, Miller said.

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The lower layer of air, heated by the lake water, picks up water vapor from the lake and rises through colder air. The vapor then freezes and is deposited on the leeward (downwind) shores.

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Lake Superior has the greatest impact on local snowfall amounts with 100% more winter precipitation falling downwind compared to Lakes Erie and Ontario that only have precipitation increases of 15% from the lake-effects.

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Flexi Says: Toronto does experience lake effect snow. This phenomenon occurs when cold air masses move over warmer lake waters, leading to the formation of clouds and precipitation downwind of the lake. The Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario which is near Toronto, are known for producing significant lake effect snow.

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Due to its relatively shallow depths, Lake Erie has the distinction of being the only Great Lake capable of completely freezing over. As it freezes throughout the winter, and the supply of moisture from the lake surface is cut off, lake-effect snow events cease.

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Anywhere! Lake effect snow can occur over any unfrozen body of water where the fetch is long enough to gather enough moisture to create snow. Lake effect snow can occur over Lake Tahoe, the Great Salt Lake, the finger lakes, and even has been reported over rivers in the Midwest!

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Syracuse, New York, directly south of the Tug Hill Plateau, receives significant lake-effect snow from Lake Ontario, and averages 115.6 inches (294 cm) of snow per year, which is enough snowfall to be considered one of the snowiest large cities in America.

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Lake Erie averages the highest ice cover Of the five Great Lakes, Lake Erie typically reaches the highest annual maximum ice cover, often exceeding 80 percent.

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