Lake-Effect Snow Moving Over the Great Lakes

news image
Special Stories
2 Nov 2020 7:00 AM
Cold air plunging southward from Canada into the northern parts of the nation, coupled with the a fast moving clipper-type low pressure center, is bringing snow showers to the Great Lakes. A surface front made it's way over the region this weekend, bringing in some snowfall reports out of Wisconsin Sunday. Winter Weather Alerts have been issued for the lake effect snow for areas downstream 0f Lake Ontario and Lake Erie into Tuesday. Enhanced bands may bring several inches of snow.

Lake-Effect Snow Forecast

As shown below, water temperatures in the Great Lakes are warmer than the air temperature. This leads to the development of lake effect snow showers. An additional wave of energy, along with a low pressure system, are diving south. This will produce lake effect snow from Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The first wave will come with the fast moving low pressure center. A few lake effect snow bands will develop behind the low into Tuesday.

Accumulation

In the Northeast, accumulations of snow are expected to be light to moderate for most areas. A few spots could see over 6 inches by Tuesday morning, mostly from lake effect snow east of Lake Ontario in Upstate New York. Higher elevation areas in Northern New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine could also see snow totals of 4 to 6 inches in some locations. Check this story for updates as additional details become available. Our live streams and on-air broadcasts always have the latest alerts scrolling at the bottom of the screen.
All Weather News
More
Record Snow, Record Rain, Rising Rivers

Record Snow, Record Rain, Rising Rivers

Flooding turned serious over the last week ac

20 Apr 2026 2:40 PM
Severe Thunderstorms Ramp Back Up This Week

Severe Thunderstorms Ramp Back Up This Week

While the severe thunderstorm risk ends with

20 Apr 2026 2:30 PM
Looking Back at Last Week's Severe Weather Outbreak

Looking Back at Last Week's Severe Weather Outbreak

Tornadoes, hail, wind, and rain slammed the M

20 Apr 2026 11:05 AM
Cold Blast Prompts Frost and Freeze Alerts

Cold Blast Prompts Frost and Freeze Alerts

WHAT TO EXPECTA blast of cold air has brought

20 Apr 2026 9:45 AM
Active Week Ahead for the West Coast

Active Week Ahead for the West Coast

After a quiet weekend, the next upper level l

20 Apr 2026 9:40 AM
Last Day of East Coast Record Heat, Big Cool Down on the Way

Last Day of East Coast Record Heat, Big Cool Down on the Way

High pressure has been dominant on the East C

19 Apr 2026 1:20 AM
Colorado I-70 Pileup on Tuesday, More Snow Late Week

Colorado I-70 Pileup on Tuesday, More Snow Late Week

COLORADO - An estimated 70+ car pileup happen

17 Apr 2026 7:15 PM