Erie, PA recently broke a record for the highest two-day snowfall throughout the entire state of Pennsylvania—a total of 60.5 inches was blanketed over the county, according to the National Weather Service.  Bringing a white Christmas without a doubt, this snow record was made starting on Christmas day when 34 inches of snow fell over Erie, only to be followed by another 26.5 inches the next day, reported the National Weather Service.  The master snow generator responsible for this record-breaking snowfall is Lake Erie itself.  This lake is the very thing that provides Erie with unique weather phenomena such as lake effect snow.

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“To put it simply, lake effect snow occurs when cold air passes over relatively warm lake water, picks up some of that moisture from the lake and transports it to land, where it falls as snow,” described the Washington Post.  For the Great Lake regions, the cold air supply moves southward from Canada over the open waters of the Great Lakes, reported the National Weather Service.  Because water is able to hold heat more effectively than the atmosphere or land surrounding it, lakes act like containers for heat provided throughout the warmer months of the year.  When the seasons change and temperatures drop, the Great Lakes are able to retain enough heat to prolong their time as liquid bodies of water.  The lakes often remain unfrozen long enough to generate powerful snowstorms such as the storm that gave Erie its whiteout Christmas of 2017.

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Aside from the excitement over making news with this record-breaking event, extreme whether conditions such as excessive snowfall can have major negative consequences.  On December 26, the second night of the record-breaking two-day snowfall, it was announced by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf that 21 Pennsylvania National Guard (PNG) troops were put on State Active Duty.

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“Our National Guard members are trained to assist the citizens of our commonwealth during severe winter storms” stated Governor Wolf.  “We are very fortunate that they live and work in our communities and are able to mobilize on short notice in order to provide the manpower and equipment needed in northwestern PA.”

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The dangerous driving conditions brought about by major snowstorms are of great concern.  But PNG troops were quick to act by “providing a number of high clearance all terrain military vehicles to aid local agencies with medical emergency and law enforcement response, assisting with safety and wellness checks, transporting essential emergency services personnel, and assigning a liaison to the Erie County Emergency Operations Center,” according to Governor Wolf.

       

Lake effect snow will continue to bring the Great Lake regions potentially record-breaking snowfalls in the future.  But those who reside in the areas of affect will continue to learn new and more efficient ways to survive and strive through such unique winter weather phenomena.  Living in a real-life snow globe is not always as magical as it sounds, but understanding the mechanisms behind lake effect snow makes it possible to live successfully in the Great Lake regions even with the extreme winter weather that hits year after year.