Snowbelt
The Snowbelt, Snow Belt, Frostbelt, or Frost Belt[1] is the region near the Great Lakes in North America where heavy snowfall in the form of lake-effect snow is particularly common.[2] Snowbelts are typically found downwind of the lakes, principally off the eastern and southern shores.
Cause
Location
Portions of the snowbelt are located in
Lake Erie is the second smallest of the five Great Lakes and shallowest. It can completely freeze over during winter.[4] Once frozen, lake-effect snow over land to the east and south of Lake Erie is temporarily alleviated. This does not end the possibility of a damaging winter storm. The Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977 that struck metropolitan Buffalo was a direct result of powder snow blown by high winds off Lake Erie, which had frozen earlier than normal. There was, for the region, no significant snowfall during the duration of the blizzard.
The southern and southeastern sides of the Great Salt Lake in Utah receive significant lake-effect snow. Since the Great Salt Lake never freezes, the lake effect can influence the weather along the Wasatch Front year-round. The lake effect largely contributes to the 55–80 inches (140–203 cm) annual snowfall amounts recorded south and east of the lake, and an average snowfall reaching 500 inches (13 m) in the Wasatch Range. The snow, which is often very light and dry because of the semiarid climate, is referred to as the "Greatest Snow on Earth" in the mountains. Lake-effect snow contributes to roughly six to eight snowfalls per year in Salt Lake City, with about 10% of the city's precipitation being contributed by the phenomenon.[5]
Skiing industries
Healthy skiing industries have been established in snowbelt regions located near major cities such as Buffalo and Toronto. The Erie/Ontario snowbelt, which extends to the northern slopes of the Allegheny Plateau, has lent the region its nickname: ski country. To the south of Georgian Bay, ski resorts are found on the Niagara Escarpment at Blue Mountain and on the Oro Moraine.
Outside North America
Sweden's east coast can be affected by similar conditions, particularly in the early winter when there is little ice on the Baltic Sea.
See also
References
- ^ "snowbelt". dictionary.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ a b Mark Johnson (November 12, 2010). "Where is northern Ohio's snow belt?". News Channel 5. Archived from the original on November 19, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
- ^ "Snowfall coming to the snow belt". The Canadian Press/CTV News. December 7, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
- ^ Staff: Straight Dope Science Advisory Board (May 30, 2002). "What's the physics behind "lake effect snow"?". The Straight Dope. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
- Deseret Morning News, August 5, 1999. Archived October 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine