Lake effect snow warning

A Lake Effect Snow Warning is a bulletin issued by the National Weather Service in the United States to warn of heavy snowfall amounts that are imminent from convective snow generated by very cold airmass passing over unfrozen lakes (lake effect snow). The criteria for amounts may vary significantly over different county warning areas.[1]

Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada issues similar warnings but they are called Snowsquall warnings.

Examples 

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SALT LAKE CITY UT
314 PM MST THU DEC 30 2010

UTZ004-310700-
/O.NEW.KSLC.LE.W.0001.101230T2214Z-101231T1700Z/
SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...LEHI...PROVO...NEPHI
314 PM MST THU DEC 30 2010

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM MST FRIDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SALT LAKE CITY HAS ISSUED A LAKE
EFFECT SNOW WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM MST FRIDAY.

* AFFECTED AREA: THE SOUTHERN WASATCH FRONT...MAINLY SOUTH OF
  PROVO INCLUDING THE TOWNS OF SPRINGVILLE...SPANISH FORK...PAYSON
  AND SANTAQUIN.

* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: AN ADDITIONAL THREE TO SIX INCHES OF
  SNOW...MAINLY IN THE FAVORED AREA SOUTH OF PROVO.

* TIMING: LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS LATE THIS AFTERNOON WILL BECOME
  STRONGER LATE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...DIMINISHING AROUND MID
  MORNING FRIDAY.

* IMPACTS: THE VERY COLD TEMPERATURES WILL CAUSE NUMEROUS ICY
  SPOTS TO DEVELOP TONIGHT. WHERE ADDITIONAL SNOW FALLS...ROADS
  WILL BECOME SNOW PACKED AND VISIBILITIES MAY LOCALLY BE REDUCED
  BELOW A HALF MILE. DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS MAY MATERIALIZE
  OVERNIGHT. MOTORISTS SHOULD USE CAUTION.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF LAKE-
EFFECT SNOW ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. LAKE-EFFECT SNOW SHOWERS
TYPICALLY ALIGN THEMSELVES IN BANDS AND PRODUCE HEAVY SNOW WITH
SUDDEN RESTRICTIONS IN VISIBILITY. DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY BE
HAZARDOUS AT TIMES. USE CAUTION. KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...
FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

FOR WINTER ROAD CONDITIONS FROM THE UTAH DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION VISIT...HTTP://WWW.COMMUTERLINK.UTAH.GOV OR DIAL
511.

&&

$$

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Weather Service. "Lake effect snow warning". Glossary - NOAA's National Weather Service. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
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