What effects do the Great Lakes have on our region?

The Great Lakes are large enough to themselves influence weather in the region. The Lakes moderate temperatures throughout the year, helping to cool nearby lands in the summer and warm them in winter. Their humidity feeds cloud cover and precipitation both over the lakes and downwind.

How do the Great Lakes affect the amount of snowfall in the region?

Lake-effect regions receive greater amounts of snowfall because the lakes enhance precipitation in those areas. Lake-effect snowfall only occurs when the lakes are not completely frozen over. Lake ice cover plays a major role in the development and distribution of lake-effect snowfall.

Do the Great Lakes cause the climate to be colder?

The Fruit Belt Effect Because the Great Lakes act as a heat source during the winter, coastal air temperatures are more moderate than the air temperature in inland areas. Winter: There is less radiation from the sun, generally making temperatures cooler. That means the lakes are warmer than the air.

How do the Great Lakes affect winter?

The massive Lakes act like heat sinks that moderate the temperatures of the surrounding land, cooling the summers and warming the winters. The lakes also act like giant humidifiers, increasing the moisture content of the air. In the winter, this moisture contributes to heavy snowfall known as “lake effect” snow.

How are the Great Lakes affected by climate change?

In recent years, warmer surface water temperatures in the Great Lakes have contributed to lower water levels by increasing rates of evaporation and causing lake ice to form later than usual (see the Lake Ice indicator), which extends the season for evaporation.

What are lake effect snowstorms?

Lake Effect snow occurs when cold air, often originating from Canada, moves across the open waters of the Great Lakes. The air rises, clouds form and grow into narrow band that produces 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour or more. Wind direction is a key component in determining which areas will receive lake effect snow.

How does Lake Effect affect weather?

Lake-effect snow forms when cold air passes over the warmer waters of a lake. Water holds on to heat more than air. As a result, below freezing air often passes over much warmer water. This causes some lake water to evaporate into the air and warm it.

How do lakes affect weather?

The Great Lakes modify the local weather and climate. Because water temperatures change more slowly than land temperatures, lake waters gain heat in summer and release heat during cooler months. This results in cooler springs, warmer falls, delayed frosts and lake-effect snow.

How do lakes effect snow?

Lake-effect snow forms when cold, below-freezing air passes over a lake’s warmer waters. This causes some lake water to evaporate and warm the air. Then, the moist air moves away from the lake. After cooling, the air dumps its moisture on the ground, potentially becoming snow.

Will the Great Lakes Flood climate change?

Don Wuebbles, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Illinois and a nationally recognized expert on the Great Lakes, said climate change will affect shoreline communities in various ways, most notably rising and falling lake levels due to changes in precipitation and evaporation.

What are some of the threats to the Great Lakes?

Threats to the Great Lakes Climate change affects water temperatures, weather patterns, and lake levels. Pollutants from residential, agricultural, and industrial areas reduce water quality. Land development decreases the amount of wildlife habitat.

Why are the Great Lakes so cold this summer?

Even with the record temperatures on the Great Lakes, that water is still several degrees cooler than adjacent land temperatures for much of the hottest part of this summer. That’s because it takes an enormous amount of heat to warm such large bodies of water. The lakes serve as a natural air conditioner for residents who live nearby.

Why are Great Lakes water temperatures setting records?

Great Lakes water temperatures are setting records due to a persistently hot summer in the Midwest and Northeast, and that may have impacts lingering into fall and winter. Water temperatures in the Great Lakes are running 6 to 11 degrees above average right now, setting records for mid-July on lakes Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario.

Can you get lake-effect snow if the lake is cold?

If you do not get cold air, you cannot get lake-effect snow. For the smaller Great Lakes in particular, once cold air does park itself, those water temperatures cool quite quickly. So if you like snow, it certainly doesn’t hurt to go into the lake-effect snow season with warmer lake waters.

What is happening to the Great Lakes?

Since 1995, average surface water temperatures have increased slightly for each of the Great Lakes (see Figure 2). Recent increases in water temperature have mostly been driven by warming during the spring and summer months (see Figure 2). These trends could relate in part to an earlier thawing of winter ice (see the Lake Ice indicator).