Syracuse, New York is located in the Onondaga County in Central New York. Cyclonic storms cause rapidly changing weather and precipitation through the Great Lakes drainage basin. This is attributed to Lake Ontario because of its geographic proximity. Syracuse is positioned within the drainage basin of Lake Ontario, which extends for about 23,400 sq. miles.

Lake effect snow occurs often during the winter months. It takes place when cold Arctic air moves over the relatively warm water of Lake Ontario. During a cold outbreak, winds from the west or northwest bring the cold, dry, Arctic air over the warmer waters of Lake Ontario. As the Arctic air passes over the warmer surface of the lake, the air is heated strongly from below. Because the air is very dry, evaporation occurs into the air. The added heat and moisture near the surface makes the very unstable and turbulent.

Due to the heat and moisture that the lake puts into the overlying air, the air close to the surface is very buoyant. When the warm, moist air at the surface is lifted slightly by turbulence, it is cooled as it is lifted. The temperature of the air decreases, however, it is not as rapid as in the surrounding air. This cavity of air is now warmer than the surrounding air, therefore it keeps rising. Since the air is moist, it does not cool too much before it becomes cumulus clouds.

When the clouds form, water vapor is condensed into tiny droplets. These droplets are usually found as ice-crystals in a lake-effect storm. Eventually the ice-crystals form into snowflakes. As soon as this occurs, the clouds start to produce heavy snow showers over the lake and downwind of shore. This lake-effect storm can leave behind up to a foot of snow within a few hours.

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Glossary

evaporation - a. To convert or change into a vapor. b. To draw off in the form of vapor.

turbulence - An eddying motion of the atmosphere that interrupts the flow of wind.

buoyancy - The tendency or capacity to remain afloat in a liquid or rise in air or gas.

cumulus clouds - A dense, white, fluffy, flat-based cloud with a multiple rounded top and a well-defined outline, usually formed by the ascent of thermally unstable air masses.

types of clouds

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition is licensed from Houghton Mifflin Company. Copyright ) 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Selected Illustrations from the Concise Columbia Encyclopedia. Copyright ) 1991 by Columbia University Press.