Winter Weather Alerts for 5 States as Lake-Effect Snow to Strike

A car is seen covered in ice and snow after being left in a parking lot on the shore of Lake Erie in Hamburg, New York on January 12, 2016. Lake-effect snow is expected to fall over the Great Lakes region this week.

Winter weather alerts are in place for parts of five states as a series of storm systems is set to bring lake-effect snow to the Great Lakes region, while New England is also expected to see another bought of winter weather this week.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued advisories for Alaska, Michigan, Montana, New York and Pennsylvania, warning of periods of blowing snow due to high winds. Winter storm warnings are also in place for Alaska, Montana and New York.

The NWS said that a high-pressure front stretching from the northern Plains to the Gulf of Mexico would facilitate snowfall in the north, which will be further enhanced by a low-pressure system descending from Canada. The same system was responsible for a cold snap in the Deep South.

On Wednesday, the meteorological agency said that a rapidly developing low-pressure system over Maine early on Thursday would reinforce the lake-effect snow showers. It will also produce periods of snow across the Northeast and New England, with at least four inches falling over Maine.

“A separate winter storm is anticipated to produce a swath of snow between the northern Plains and Great Lakes by the end of the week, with snow beginning today across the northern High Plains,” it added. “Greater chances for moderate to heavy snow shifts to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes by Friday, where there is the potential for up to 10-12 inches of snow.”

Lake-effect snow is a phenomenon in which cold air picks up moisture from relatively warm bodies of water to produce precipitation. In the Great Lakes region, it is usually produced by a Clipper system moving cold air down from Canada.

The region has already seen several bouts of lake-effect snow throughout the winter, with the meteorological effect bringing as much as three feet of snow to the Great Lakes in January.

Time-lapse footage of Lake Michigan, taken from a vantage point in Chicago, has shown the forming of low-lying clouds off the lake that are responsible for creating lake-effect snow when they reach land.

In areas of New York downwind of Lake Ontario, up to six inches of snow is anticipated until Wednesday evening, along with winds gusting as high as 45 miles an hour. In Oneida County, four inches of snow is expected.

In Erie County, Pennsylvania, on the banks of Lake Erie, up to five inches of snow is forecast with winds as high as 30 miles per hour. The greatest accumulations are expected in higher terrains to the south of the I-90 and east of the I-79.

In northern Michigan, up to five inches of snow and winds of up to 40 miles per hour are anticipated on Wednesday into the early hours of Thursday morning.

As much as six inches of snow is forecast for northeastern Montana, with accumulations “drastically” changing between grass and pavemented surfaces, the NWS said. Pavements are likely to be mostly wet in daylight hours, but will quickly refreeze and become snow-covered when the sun goes down.

Meanwhile, in western Alaska, a mix of wintry precipitation is expected, with up to six inches of snow falling and ice forming in a light glaze. Winds are set to reach up to 55 miles per hour, while blowing snow will reduce visibility to half a mile or less in places.

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