The lake effect of the Great Salt Lake: overview and forecast problems

Abstract

Twenty-eight cases of GSL lake-effect snowfall are examined. Each of the cases produced at least 4 in. (10 cm) of snow at some point in the Salt Lake Valley, and nine of them produced over a foot (30 cm) of snow. Upper-air data at 700 mb provide information useful in forecasting both the occurrence of the lake effect and the location of the heaviest snowfall. A temperature difference of at least 17°C between the GSL and 700 mb is common in the heaviest snowfall cases. A method for real-time diagnosis of the temperature of the GSL is discussed. The 700-mb wind direction is useful for predicting the location of heaviest snowfall. -from Author