Great Lakes Lake Effect

I have been here in Buffalo waiting for something to happen. I’ve seen the photos and heard the jokes about snow and Buffalo but thus far I am unimpressed. Locals have been telling me that the snow belt is south of the city and having looked at the terrain and followed the radar, I am starting to get a sense of the pattern.

What makes lake effect snow unique here is the configuration of the city at the northeastern end of the narrow Lake Erie unlike Michigan where the entire west side of the state is bounded by Lake Michigan. Lake effect snow occurs in bands that come off the lake and go generally west to east. This weekend we had our first real lake effect snow. The bands were predicted to extend inland to the south of downtown Buffalo. In the end, the bands came inland over northern Buffalo where I live.

A strong cold front came in right behind the SW to NE bands of lake effect snow. The cold front was a very distinct line that moved from the NW toward the SE with the snow coming across. Once it was across, some of the lake effect snow lines formed again as the air moved across the warm lake.

The radar shows the strong cold front to the east of Buffalo now and the lake effect bands now south and north of Buffalo. I’m wondering if they have 18 inches of snow while I have around 6 inches. Similar bands are now bringing snow to parts of Michigan as the cold air blows across the warm water.

I’m still waiting for something that give me a great story that matches the stereotypes of Buffalo.