
Lake-Effect Snow Over Michigan

by Stoneworks Imagery
Title
Lake-Effect Snow Over Michigan
Artist
Stoneworks Imagery
Medium
Digital Art - Digital Art
Description
This is a digitally enhanced image of a wintry scene across the Great Lakes states in mid-December 2024, which could be seen from space as a blast of frigid air traversing open water and dropping up to several feet of snow. Lake-effect snow buried some towns under heavy accumulation, while cold temperatures and gusty winds affected many more areas.
The VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-21 satellite acquired this image on the afternoon of December 12, 2024. The beautiful lake-effect snow bands can easily be seen in the image. These snow bands of clouds form when cold, dry air blows across relatively warm lakes and picks up water vapor. The water vapor freezes into ice crystals, forming clouds that extend in the direction of the wind. When the moist air reaches the opposite shore, it can fall as lake-effect snow.
Snow accumulated on land downwind of the Great Lakes, especially in northern Michigan and western New York. Totals reached several feet in some places. Weather stations in Munising and Gaylord, Michigan, recorded over 14 inches (36 centimeters) of snowfall. Meanwhile, in New York, Elma Center, just east of Buffalo, received over 3 feet (97 centimeters) of snow within 2 days. These totals came on top of almost 4 feet of snow that had fallen there earlier in the month.
Credit to NASA Earth Observatory images using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS.
Uploaded
January 26th, 2025
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