The residents of Buffalo, New York have been hammered by a crazy blizzard this week. Apparently a massive current of snow has poured off Lake Eerie in a weather pattern commonly known as “lake-effect” snow — the instance when warm, moisture-rich lake waters mix with ice cold air to create giant clouds of snowfall. Usually, this phenomenon is extremely localized allowing drivers to pass through such flurries in just minutes. This looks like a giant avalanche from the sky! From CityLab:
The ongoing lake-effect storm was right on schedule, as they tend to blow in from November to February. And it had locals scrambling for cover in whiteout conditions, with driving banned on many roads and the National Guard coming in to help with the recovery. According to The Buffalo News, in some places this “may turn out to be a six footer.”
Being a Southern California resident, I really have no concept of what a “six footer” looks like. Twitter user @Joseph_Video posted the image below which makes this “lake-effect” snow appear to be pretty horrifying. Can someone remind me what rain looks like?
(Source: CityLab)