New Zealand Local Weather Forum
Weather Discussion => International => Topic started by: avoorpool on March 21, 2013, 12:46:57 PM
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Toronto / Pickering - Canada
Surrounded by the Great Lakes of North America (NZ will fit a few times in this massive water basin :)) has its pros and cons.......
Knowing the water supply is good for approx. 21% of the total Earth Fresh Water amount (it's expected that in the (far) future the price of Fresh Water will reach the same as Oil today :)) weather wise it offers many surprises...!!!
Take a look at the attached Radar picture (courtesy Intellicast) taken today, first day of Spring - March 20 2013..
It's called "Lake Effect".
So how does this work???
Since this winter temperatures haven't been constantly sub-sub-sub zero, the water of the Great Lakes is NOT frozen all over, and still 'relatively' "warm" compared to outside temperatures.....
Our majority of Wind direction is N - NW, so Mr (or Mrs) Wind says: " Hey, let's pick up some "warm" water from Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, and take it in our path towards South-Western Ontario, and then dump it in the form of Snow.... :o
Those bands are called "Snow Squalls", a typical weather pattern in winter, but very tricky for motorists.
They often cover only a few kilometers (see picture), so one time you're driving in FULL Sunshine, the next moment visibility is absolutely "zero" and you're in a blast of SNOW..!!
Today was the same: Nice Sunshine at times in the afternoon and the next moment you look outside in the midst of a "Snow storm", however, it disappears as quickly as it comes.....
So, that's the "Lake Effect" in Winter for Toronto - Ontario.
Summer time has a different 'surprise', mainly in the form of extreme humidity and humidex temperatures (reaching + 45 C...)
Now I wish we were there already.. :) :)
Cheers,
Arthur
(http://nzpws.net/nzwn/images/snow_bands.jpg)