Is it near time for "Lake Effect" snow storms?

With the cold settling in around the Great lakes
Is this the time you get the lake effect snow storms?

 

si

 

We get some here in the Laurel Highlands of west central PA too, coming off Lake Erie. Not as much as the northern states around the lakes, obviously.

 

When it gets good and cold before the big lake gets cold, so yes, now. Still happens all winter, but it's prime time now. When I lived near grand rapids, the rest of the state gets an inch and the lakeshore gets a foot. Was cool to have all the snow until about February, then I was over it.

 

Just got through watching our weather here (SE Mass), the folks around the south and east of the lakes will be bothered most of the day today. The Berkshires in Mass are the only ones that get anything from it usually.

 

Lake effect snow is kicking in around here. We're just slightly east of the E in Syracuse on the map that Jack posted and once the wind shifts a little we get a lot of snow. The worst of it usually stays about 10 or 15 miles north of us but it doesn't take much of a wind shift to see some really heavy snow.

 

Blizzard warnings

Do the lake ever freeze over ?
If/when they do, does that stop the lake effect storms?

Watertown 2 feet, nice.

 

I can imagine the snowplow guys must make 1/3 their annual salary pushing snow.

 

We get it here from time to time (I'm northwest of Grand Rapids, MI). It's a rare occasion that we get snows like they see over in Syracuse or Buffalo.

The UP of Michigan is a fun place to be when the lake effect kicks in. Especially if you have a snowmobile.

 

Between Erie & Buffalo getting lots of snow.
But Watertown will get buried

Need to build a wood shed for sure & one with a strong roof !

 

I was once stationed at a radar site in Watertown NY. The snow would drop there in feet! Lake effect snow. One time we had to stay overnight in a hotel because we couldn't make up to the radar site. We had gone shopping for baby things, wife was 8 months. We into a store. When we came out, there was 10 inches of snow that had fallen in less than an hour.

 

I can imagine the tunnel to get to the woodpile too. Shovelling off the roof frequently and keeping an eye
on the flue pipe

 

A tunnel is a good idea, only have to dig & shovel it once.
Covered trial until it melts !

 

The area between Syracuse and Watertown, they call it the Tug Hill Plateau, has had between 3 to 5 feet in the last few days and yes the plow drivers work a lot of hours trying to keep up. Rt 81 has reflector signs about every 100 feet apart for the plow drivers to find their way and the reflectors are on post about 8 feet high.

 

I wonder if the lakes freeze every year or not? and if not, do the lake effect snows run through the winter?

 

The lakes do freeze, well I know Lake Ontario does but I'm not certain about the others. Once they are frozen the lake effect snows cut back a lot but not completely. Until they do freeze they dump a crazy amount of snow. This article has some info on what winter is like here: http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20131201/NEWS03/712019820

 

The winter norm ?

 

We haven't seen that kind of snow most years. A lot more further inland and nearer the larger hills.
We used to have about three feet on the ground, and lots of drifting, but the cycle is different now.