Upstate New York Is Hit by More Snow; Total Accumulation Over 7 Days Measures 110 Inches (GW Alert!)

AP ^ | 02-10-2007 | JOHN KEKIS

[TheDon]

PARISH, N.Y. -- With more than 8 feet of snow already coating the ground, it wasn't good news for this winter-weary region when the blue sky turned gray Saturday, signaling another intense snow squall was about to dump some more.

"This is bad," said 67-year-old Dave DeGrau, who has operated an auto repair shop on Main Street for 45 years. "We had a very easy winter until now. Last fall during hunting season it rained every time I went out. I kept saying 'I'm glad this isn't snow.' Now, it's snow."

...

The National Weather Service said Parish _ about 25 miles northeast of Syracuse _ reached a milestone early Saturday with 100 inches of snow during the past seven days. Late Saturday, the total had risen to 110 inches. Unofficial reports pegged totals at 123 inches in Orwell and 131 in Redfield, but those measurements include snow from another storm a couple of days before the current weather system. All three towns are in Oswego County.

A warning in effect until Monday morning said 2 to 4 more feet of snow was possible with wind gusting up to 24 mph.

....

[TheDon]

Good thing we are in a global warming phase, or this guy would have significantly more snow to shovel!!

[snarks_when_bored]

The snow is lake-effect snow and is caused by Lake Ontario's water being warmer than usual; in normal years, the water is around 33 degrees, but this year, the water is around 36 degrees (so a TV weather guy said).

Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[syriacus]

I wish NY would build some more reservoirs upstate.Maybe they can trade snow-melt to the Arabs in exchange for oil.

[april15Bendovr]

Is Al Gore Upstate in NY handing out free DVDs of his movie?

[jwalsh07]

The snow is lake-effect snow and is caused by Lake Ontario's water being warmer than usual; in normal years, the water is around 33 degrees, but this year, the water is around 36 degrees (so a TV weather guy said).

The weather guy should go back to school.

[snarks_when_bored]

Clear it up for us, jw...

[basil]

Being a Texan, I cannot even imagine what this is like! We had about a quarter inch of ice one day last month, and the entire place came to a standstill--yes, schools were closed!

[jwalsh07]

Okie dokie. Lake effect snow is mainly a function of wind vector and temperature differential, unless of course the lake is frozen in which case it's temperature is below 32F. How's that snark? :-}

[grey_whiskers]

you called?

grey_whiskers

[snarks_when_bored]

I'll have to do some remedial meteorological work...I'll get back to you...(grin)...

[jwalsh07]

We live in NE Ct, the snow belt when Northeasters wrap around and drop snow on my little hill. We have had years where we get a foot of snow every week but what the folks in New York are enduring is tough. I've shoveled roofs in my time but with the amount of snow they are getting, shoveling the roof begins to cover the house from below.

Lots of older folks can't even do that. My brother heard a report that said the snow melt may be done until August. Unbelievable. God bless them folks over there. But contrast it with Katrina and you'll see how independent folk beat dependent folk every time.

[jwalsh07]

LOL, you do that snarks.

[snarks_when_bored]

Hmmm, I found this:

Lake effect snow is caused when very cold air flows over the relatively warmer water of a large lake. Intense evaporation from the lake surface under these conditions forms convective clouds that can not contain all of this water, and some of it falls back to the surface as snow. Lake effect snow showers often form into bands or lines, with abrupt edges to the falling snow. One location can receive a foot of snow, while another location just a few miles away receives only flurries. Buffalo, New York is probably the most famous location for receiving large amounts of lake effect snow. The convective clouds of lake effect snow showers do not reach the heights attained by thunderstorms, with tops seldom exceeding 12,000 feet in altitude compared to 40,000 to 60,000 feet for thunderstorms. Once the lake surface cools to near 32 degrees F in the late winter, the lake effect snow mechanism weakens considerably, and if the lake freezes, it stops altogether.

Sounds to me as if the TV weather guy made a valid point: the warmer the lake's water, the more evaporation and so the more snow...

[Free ThinkerNY]

[snarks_when_bored]

LOL, you do that snarks.

Ding! School's out! See my previous post...

[jwalsh07]

Keep looking, sooner or later you'll find somebody who knows some physics.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Screw a shovel, that guy needs to get one of these things:

[snarks_when_bored]

I seek always to learn from my betters, jw...

[jwalsh07]

Oh sheesh! Since I liek you I went to NOAA and plucked this plum for you.

---

Meteorological Variables


Temperature Difference Between Lake Surface and Overlaying Air: The temperature difference between the lake surface and overlying air promotes "convective instability " that provides the basic energy source for lake effect snow. Ideally, the ambient air temperature should be 15 C to 25 C cooler than the surface of the lake, and the dew point differential between the 850 mb level and the surface must be at least 13 C. In general, the greater the temperature difference between the cold air and the warm water, the heavier the snow showers will be. If the temperature contrast is great enough, the rising air will have enough buoyancy to form thundersnow (i.e., thunderstorms characterized by snow (as opposed to rainfall).
Wind Speed: Sufficient wind speed is necessary to advect arctic air over the lake, and transport sufficient amounts of warm, moist air to the shore. Increased wind speed also increases turbulent fluxes, which enhances the vertical mixing required for lake effect snows. A minimum wind speed of 5 meters/second is generally required for significant lake effect snow formation over land (otherwise, the snow that forms will fall over the lake or along the immediate shoreline). On the other hand, if the wind speed is too strong, residence time over the lake is reduced and the air passes over the lake too quickly to pick up sufficient heat and moisture needed for lake effect snow.
Wind Direction (and Duration): Local surface wind direction determines where lake effect snow will fall, with the leeward or downwind portion of the lakeshore receiving the most lake effect snow. Wind direction also helps determine the fetch (see definition below).
Stability: Stability affects the depth through which mixing and convection will occur. Deeper mixing allows deeper, more intense convection that intensifies lake effect snow. Stability also plays a role in determining cloud band structure.
Latent Heating: Latent heat release from condensation (cloud formation) provides an important additional energy source for convective instability and subsequent lake effect snows (as it is a significant heat input to the mixed layer).
Relative Humidity: The relative humidity of the upstream air determines the amount of moisture required to saturate it. In general, the dry arctic air masses that generate lake effect snow requires longer residence times over water to saturate.

[snarks_when_bored]

Thanks for that passage. The TV guy wasn't wrong, though: if the water was colder, there would be less lake-effect snow, and if the water was frozen, there'd be very little or none. I didn't mean to imply that water temperature was the only cause of lake-effect snow; just that the warmth of the water was enhancing the amount of it.