1/24/08
Lake-enhanced Snow?
Most forecasters agreed that the 40-hours of continuous snowfall on Tuesday and Wednesday this week was lake-enhanced snow. Lee Vining received 2 feet of snow from the storm (containing 1.28" of water), and June Lake even more. But Mammoth Lakes, usually the snowiest populated place in Mono County, got much less. Why? Mono Lake! Just like the more famous lake-effect snows of the Great Lakes and Great Salt Lake, the large lakes in the Western Great Basin (Tahoe, Pyramid, and Mono especially) also create their own weather patterns. When cold, moist air flows over the relatively warmer, moister air at the surface of the lake, instability not unlike that of a summer thunderstorm occurs. Rising warm moist air condenses and forms snow showers downwind. The result: great skiing and lots of shoveling!
Arya Degenhardt Photo 1/23/08
Greg Reis Photo 1/24/08
Greg Reis Photo 1/24/08
Greg Reis Photo 1/24/08
Greg Reis Photo 1/24/08
Excerpt from the National Weather Service's Reno Forecast Discussion at 3:50 PM on January 23rd, 2008:
AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF MONO LAKE HAVE RECEIVED HEFTY LAKE EFFECT ENHANCED SNOWS WHICH WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AS EASTERLY FLOW PICKS UP MOISTURE FROM MONO LAKE. ELSEWHERE...WE ARE ONLY EXPECTING SNOW ADVISORY AMOUNTS (A COUPLE INCHES IN THE LOWER VALLEYS AND 5 TO 9 INCHES FOR LAKE TAHOE LEVEL) AS THE DEFORMATION AXIS PIVOTS INTO THE REGION. ANOTHER FACTOR WHICH MIGHT PUMP UP SNOW AMOUNTS A BIT MORE WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR LAKE EFFECT SNOW THURSDAY DOWNWIND (IN THIS CASE ON THE NORTH OR NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE LAKES) OF LAKE TAHOE AND PYRAMID LAKE. TEMPERATURE PROFILES LOOK PLENTY COLD ENOUGH TO INITIATE INSTABILITY OVER THE RELATIVELY WARM LAKE SURFACES.
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