How To Prepare For the Lake Effect Snow Warning?

Every year, the National Weather Service issues a lake effect snow warning for residents of the North Country. If you are a resident of areas close to the Great Lakes in North America, you should learn about this natural phenomenon to be appropriately prepared. As fascinating as these bouts of snowfall are, they bring difficulties for people living and traveling in these regions.

Read on to discover all you need to know about the lake-effect snow and what you can do to prepare yourself, like adopting a portable power station for electricity use after receiving a lake effect snow warning:

What Is The Lake Effect Snow?

The lake-effect snow is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the cold air from the north in Canada passes over the Great Lakes in North America. As these large masses of cold air travel south, they traverse over the warm waters of the Great Lakes. Warm moisture from these lakes rises into the atmosphere, where it condenses to form clouds. The bands of cloud then rain down snow in the regions close to the lake shores.

How much snow does the lake-effect snow lead to? A lot! In fact, you can expect snowstorms that rain down snow for two days straight at a time. Regions surrounding the lakes can receive up to six inches of snow in an hour. It all depends on the difference in temperature created by the water bodies; the higher the difference, the more snowfall you can expect.

How Does the Lake Effect Snow Affect Daily Work and Life?

The regions most commonly affected by the lake snow effect include the territories around the Great Lakes, the name given to the chain of freshwater lakes in east-central North America, including Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. While residents have slowly adapted to this natural phenomenon, their daily work and lives are disrupted in several ways.

1. Disruption of Traffic

Every year, the lake-effect snow leads to major disruptions in traffic, causing snarled traffic or sometimes even a complete shutdown of the surrounding highways. Driving through these bands of snowfall is not recommended due to low visibility and icy roads. Emergency statuses may be applied after a lake effect snow warning, during which residents are urged to stay at home and steer clear of the streets. Last November, over 70 collisions were reported across Northeast Ohio following the lake snow effect.^[1] It is no surprise that residents are better off steering clear of the roads.

2. Availability of Power Systems

Unexpected snowstorms can disrupt power systems, impacting the reliability and availability of electricity supply. Electrical lines exposed to freezing snow and sleet are damaged, often leading to hazardous conditions for passersby. Snow that shields electric cables causes overheating in the power lines, resulting in fires, short circuits, damages, and malfunctions.

Without power systems to support you, you won’t be able to power and use your electric home essentials, including your smart devices for communication. It calls for new tools, like a small generator, to generate electricity.

3. Increased Energy Needs

With incoming snow, you will need electricity to power your essentials. Not just your home devices but also your heating and snow removal equipment, as the frequent occurrence of lake-effect snow can result in total snow accumulations ranging from 60 to 100 inches. ^[2]

Snow removal equipment will be needed to clear away this snow quickly so residents can resume their daily work and activities. Similarly, residents will need heating equipment at home to keep themselves warm in the chilling weather. Damage to electrical power lines means a disruption in electricity needed for these crucial applications.

4. Inconvenience to Daily Work and Life

The lake-effect snow upends daily life and work. Decreased foot travel due to travel restrictions often negatively impacts local businesses. Residents employed in nearby commercial areas will need to stay home. Local schools also shut down due to the lake effect snow warning. In short, it becomes a major inconvenience for everyone's daily work and life activities.

5. Damage to Agriculture

These harsh bouts of snow and freezing temperatures can also significantly damage crops, livestock, and agricultural infrastructure. Snow accumulation can flatten crops, break branches, and damage greenhouses, leading to crop losses and reduced yields. Livestock may face challenges accessing food and water, and farmers may struggle with maintaining animal shelters and equipment in snowy conditions.

What Can Be Done to Deal with The Lake Effect Snow?

The lake-effect snow proves to be challenging for residents every year. However, there are certain preventative methods you can follow to keep yourself and your home safe when there is a lake effect snow warning:

1. Stay On Top of Lake Effect Snow Warning and Weather Forecast

The first step is to keep yourself informed and updated on all lake effect snow warnings and weather forecasts. This is even more important for residents living near the Great Lakes in North America. Real-time weather updates will give you plenty of time to prepare for incoming snowstorms. You never know how long you will be isolated in your homes.

2. Stock Up on Necessary Supplies in Advance

If you have received a lake effect snow warning, it is best to stock up on essentials. Even without a warning, keeping a reserved stock of supplies in your home is a good habit to counter emergencies. For snow-related events, you should keep stock of foods that do not need cooking, such as canned goods. You won't have to worry about refrigeration during the winter weather, but it is also good to get foods that don’t need refrigeration to begin with.

You will also want to stock up on water, spare batteries, first aid kits, thermal blankets to keep yourself warm, medication, baby items if you have an infant at home, and essentials such as flashlights or backup generators.

3. Be Well-Prepared for Going Out

With a lake effect snow warning, you will be directed not to leave your homes, which is always for the best. To avoid going out, you should stock up on all your essentials, but what can you do if you have to go out? There is always a chance of you running out of essentials or missing something.

This is why you must also prepare yourself for stepping outdoors after receiving a lake effect snow warning. Make sure to wear the appropriate outdoor clothing, including inner layers of warm, breathable clothing, weather-resistant jackets and coats, warm hats and mittens, and waterproof boots. Always inform a friend or a relative of your expected route and what time you may arrive so they can keep track of your whereabouts. If you are traveling with a vehicle, tie a brightly colored cloth to its antenna so it can easily be spotted by rescuers if need be.

4. Warmth at Home

The next step after receiving a lake effect snow warning is protecting yourself against the elements. Your home can only do so much to keep the chilling air out. To keep yourself warm, you will have to use your heating systems, but what can you do in the event of a power outage? Having a backup supply is a good choice.

Besides that, you should keep additional heated blankets, make sure your home is adequately insulated, use portable space heaters, seal any cracks and gaps in your home, inspect your water heater, and replace batteries in your heat and smoke detectors.

5. Prepare Home Backup Power

Electricity is one of the core needs for your home, powering your heating systems, cooking grills, and communication devices. Even if you are isolated at home, a backup electricity supply can help you power through these challenging times. Choose a reliable battery backup power supply.

A portable power station is a good choice. A portable power station is a small compact device that can be easily positioned in or outside your home. If you have a solar power station, you can recharge it conveniently using the sun's energy to have a backup supply during the lake-effect snow weather patterns.