I'm curious to know if there is such a thing here in NZ...I am not aware of it happening at all, but would be interested to know if it has ever happened/does happen...whether from over the lakes here (perhaps too small?) or from the ocean...?
I lived in Chicago (right next to Lake Michigan) for four years and when it was VERY cold and you had a wind coming off the lake, you tended to get buried by the so-called "lake effect" snow...
"Lake Effect" snow here in NZ? - Just curious...
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For today's weather discussion head to: New Zealand Weather & Climate
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Gary Roberts
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Re: "Lake Effect" snow here in NZ? - Just curious.
I don't know about Queenstown or Te Anau way, but I haven't noticed anything like that here. I suspect you are correct, that they lack the area to cause such an event. They do other things though, such as weird fogging, and an eerie blue light reflection on overcast days.gllitz wrote:I'm curious to know if there is such a thing here in NZ...I am not aware of it happening at all, but would be interested to know if it has ever happened/does happen...whether from over the lakes here (perhaps too small?) or from the ocean...?
I lived in Chicago (right next to Lake Michigan) for four years and when it was VERY cold and you had a wind coming off the lake, you tended to get buried by the so-called "lake effect" snow...
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RWood
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gllitz, the "lake effect" is on the other side of Lake Michigan in Michigan state - where they get buried in snow. Chicago gets relatively much less because of its "upwind" situation in their NW snow events...I lived there years ago as a student and can remember the pictures of the "other side" in 1967/68 - Chicago had disappointingly little snow that season, Michigan prospered as usual.
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TonyT
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IIRC there was a study published a good few years ago looking at rainfall data in the inland South Canty/North Otago area both before and after the construcion of the hydro schemes there, and there was, I think, a small but statistically significant increase in rainfall in the years after construction. But I cant recall whether the study took into account that rainfall may have increased at other sites not near the hydro schemes over the same period.
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gllitz
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Yes, I am well aware that Chicago does not get as much as the others...but it does happen on occasion:RWood wrote:gllitz, the "lake effect" is on the other side of Lake Michigan in Michigan state - where they get buried in snow. Chicago gets relatively much less because of its "upwind" situation in their NW snow events...I lived there years ago as a student and can remember the pictures of the "other side" in 1967/68 - Chicago had disappointingly little snow that season, Michigan prospered as usual.
http://wgntv.trb.com/news/weather/weblo ... 00508.html
I am originally from Buffalo, NY where they get HEAPS of it...
I am just curious if the phenomenon happens here in NZ at all and if not from the lakes from the ocean?
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NZstorm
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I strongly doubt there is a 'lake effect' in New Zealand. Polar airmasses tend to be dry and stable when they reach the inland lakes. And our lakes would be too small to induce convection I think.
Common off the ocean though in coastal south Otago/Southland in winter.
There will be some fine examples of it this weekend.
Common off the ocean though in coastal south Otago/Southland in winter.
There will be some fine examples of it this weekend.
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RWood
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gllitz wrote:Yes, I am well aware that Chicago does not get as much as the others...but it does happen on occasion:RWood wrote:gllitz, the "lake effect" is on the other side of Lake Michigan in Michigan state - where they get buried in snow. Chicago gets relatively much less because of its "upwind" situation in their NW snow events...I lived there years ago as a student and can remember the pictures of the "other side" in 1967/68 - Chicago had disappointingly little snow that season, Michigan prospered as usual.
http://wgntv.trb.com/news/weather/weblo ... 00508.html
I am originally from Buffalo, NY where they get HEAPS of it...
That's true, especially when one is considering near-lake areas compared to places further from the lakefront - but it's a rather minor effect compared to the big cross-lake differential in typical situations.
I remember Buffalo's reputation quite well - as I recall, it would be "downstream" from other great lake(s) with respect to the airflows from Canada?!
I am just curious if the phenomenon happens here in NZ at all and if not from the lakes from the ocean?