Chicago wouldn’t be Chicago without the Lake Michigan weather. Chicago’s location on the lake’s southwest shore allowed the town to develop immediately after its integration in the 1830s into the core of producing, transport and railroading.
Lake Michigan also has helped Chicago weather to be identified worldwide as blustery, freezing and home to some breathtaking winter storms, with the latest blizzard in February making the record books as the third-largest in the Windy City’s history.
The following is a brief briefing on how and why Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes have such a significant influence on Chicago weather.
The five Great Lakes (Michigan, Huron, Superior, Erie, and Ontario) primarily act as a vast heat sink, moderating the temperatures of their shores. The lakes also become large humidifiers, escalating the amount of moisture that floats in the air all year round.
Which means that in the winter, this considerable moisture condenses and becomes snow when it hits shore, leading to what are known as “snow belts” on the downwind lake shores.
Areas on the downwind sides of the lakes such as Cleveland, Ohio; Erie, Pennsylvania; and Buffalo, New York (Lake Erie); Syracuse, New York (Lake Ontario); etc. often receive what is known as “lake effect” snow, receiving way more snow than other locations on the same latitude. For example, some parts along the shore of Lake Superior have recorded snowfall of up to 350 inches in just one year!
Yet Chicago weather isn’t really impacted by lake effect snow resulting from the fact that the prevailing westerly winds that cross the region take on moisture from Lake Michigan after going through (some would say through) Chicago.
That’s not to say that the Lake Michigan condition doesn’t occasionally drop a significant amount of snow in Chicago. The uncommon northeasterly winds at times do bring on the type of blizzards that are so well known in snow belt locations.
Sheila Dodd is the Marketing Executive for Chicago based bus charter company Executive Coach. Along with city and Chicago Airport Transportation, Executive Coach also offers services for Chicago group tours and day trips from Chicago. For more information on charter bus or shuttle rental, please visit www.ExecutiveCoachofChicago.com or call (708) 352-9780 to speak with a representative.
Chicago weather forecast on 1-12-2012 is Winter Storm Advisory! 4-8 inches of snow on Thursday with 20-30 mph winds and drifting of snow! By Friday the storm will likely to shift east. Watch out for the weather. Know the weather around you and get yourself a home weather station – at www.thehomeweatherstation.com Video created at animoto.com
Tags: New York, Michigan, Chicago Airport Transportation, Lake Ontario
Spare Times: For Children, for April 27 May 3 – New York Times
Lake Effect Snow Advisory issued December 11 at 4:36AM EST until December 11 at 7:00AM EST by NWS: …LAK… -
Hi there… This is truly a wonderful blog or collection of pictures… I was wondering what kind of stones those are? They look like fire agates but not sure. Where did you find them? I had no idea Michigan held such wonders–the stones are least of it, I see!
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Savannah, and thanks — glad you enjoyed the pics. Those are Lake Superior agates collected on the south shore of Lake Superior