Lake effect snowfall is good example of the hydrologic cycle at work. Below is a vertical cross-section summarizing the processes of the hydrologic cycle that contribute to the production of lake effect snow. The cycle begins as cold winds (horizontal blue arrows) blow across a large lake, a phenomena that occurs frequently in the late fall and winter months around the Great Lakes. Evaporation of warm surface water increases the amount of moisture in the colder, drier air flowing immediately above the lake surface. With continued evaporation, water vapor in the cold air condenses to form ice-crystal clouds, which are transported toward shore. |
By the time these clouds reach the shoreline, they are filled with snowflakes too large to remain suspended in the air and consequently, they fall along the shoreline as precipitation. The intensity of lake effect snowfall can be enhanced by additional lifting due to the topographical features (hills) along the shoreline. Once the snow begins to melt, the water is either absorbed by the ground and becomes groundwater, or goes returns back to the lake as runoff.
Lake effect snow events can produce tremendous amounts of snow. One such event was the Cleveland, Ohio