An Arctic chill grips the Northeast USA by Nina Ridge
A deep covering of snow has arrived for several states in the northeast USA, in the first major snowstorm of the winter.
Areas to the southeast of the Great Lakes were hardest hit, as cold air from Canada and the Arctic swept southeastwards. Several inches of ‘lake effect snow’ were dumped on states including Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Lake effect snow is produced when cold Arctic air moves over relatively warm, moist expanses of lake water, picking up water vapour which is then deposited as snow to the lee of the lakes. The effect is enhanced when the cold, moisture laden air then moves across hills and mountains, often producing intense periods of snowfall over areas referred to as ‘snowbelts’.
Over the snowbelt to the southeast of the Great Lakes, low lying areas widely received 5 to 10cm (2 to 4 inches) of snow during Monday and Tuesday. In higher places such as West Leyden, New York State, 70cm (28 inches) of snow had fallen by Tuesday night.
The cold, wintry weather is likely to stick around until at least Friday, as forecasters are predicting another Arctic surge of cold air over the region on Thursday.
|
|
