Temporal trends in snowfall contribution induced by lake-effect synoptic types

Suriano, Zachary J.; Wortman, Reggie D.

doi:10.1080/02723646.2020.1792048

Cited by 7 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Eichenlaub (1970) suggests that lake-effect storms contribute at least 20% of the seasonal snowfall in areas lee of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan. This estimate is modest, compared to those from other studies that suggest contributions are closer to 50% in other subregions of the Great Lakes basin and during more recent years (Kelly, 1986;Braham and Dungey, 1995;Liu and Moore, 2004;Hartnett, 2020;Pettersen et al, 2020;Suriano and Wortman, 2021).…”

Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

“…However, these estimates ignore the spatial variability that exists within a lake's snow basin, and often assumes a single contribution at a coarse resolution. Findings from this research suggest that the greatest contributions (45-55%) from lake snowstorms are located directly east of Lake Ontario, including over the Tug Hill (Figures 3, 4); findings that are consistent with those of Hartnett (2020) and Suriano and Wortman (2021). Although lake snowstorms account for over 50% of the seasonal snowfall in parts of Central New York, contributions are closer to 25% further from the lake.…”

Section: Snowfall Contributions From Lake-effect Snowsupporting

confidence: 66%

“…For example, a storm can be classified as both a Nor'easter and a lake snowstorm but cannot be classified as both a lake snowstorm and a non-lake snowstorm. The methods presented in this study are a more direct analysis of snowstorms, expanding upon the procedures outlined by Pettersen et al (2020) and Suriano and Wortman (2021) who use proxies to distinguish lake-effect snow versus non-lake-effect snow.…”

Section: Texas Hook 53mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of the snowiest regions within the Great Lakes basin are found to the lee (downwind) of Lake Ontario, including the Tug Hill Plateau of New York State (further referred to as the Tug Hill). Using different approaches, the recent studies of Hartnett (2020) and Suriano and Wortman (2021) suggest that lake-effect snowstorms account for ∼35-42% of the snowstorm events to the lee of Lake Ontario, yet contribute between 42 and 48% of the seasonal snowfall. The percent contribution is even greater within the Tug Hill, as Veals and Steenburgh (2015) estimate that lake-effect snow accounts for ∼61-76% of the mean cool-season snowfall.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To date, most studies assessing snowfall contributions to the lee of Lake Ontario only focus on snowfall from lakeeffect storms. Additionally, most studies use proxies to identify lake-effect snow versus non-lake-effect snow, such as synoptic patterns (Suriano et al, 2019;Suriano and Wortman, 2021) or cloud base heights (Pettersen et al, 2020), rather than a complete analysis of each individual snowstorm. There also is little attention given to the spatial variability that exists within the Lake Ontario basin, even though it is well document that lake-effect snow contributions decrease further from the Great Lakes (Dewey, 1970;Huff, 1996, 1997;Suriano et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Seasonal Snowfall Contributions of Different Snowstorm Types in Central New York State

Hartnett

2021

Front. Water

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Located at the eastern extent of the Great Lakes snowbelt, Central New York averages some of the highest annual snowfall totals east of the Rocky Mountains. This is in large part due to the variety of snowstorms that affect the region including lake-effect storms, coastal storms, and overrunning storms. Previous estimates suggest that lake-effect snowstorms account for approximately half of the seasonal snow in the Great Lakes basin, but ignore the spatial variability that exists within the region. Therefore, this study examines the seasonal snowfall contributions of the different snowstorm types to affect Central New York. Results suggest that although lake-effect snowstorms are the dominant snowstorm type in the region, their seasonal snowfall contributions vary between 13 and 48%. Although lake-effect snowstorms produce more snow during the peak and mid-seasons, their relative contribution is greatest during the early and mid-winter seasons. Generally, higher contributions occur near the Tug Hill Plateau, with lower contributions in southern Central New York. Instead, snowfall in southern Central New York is mostly dominated by Nor'easters (16–35%), with lesser contributions from Rocky lows (14–29%). Overrunning storms that originate in Canada (e.g., Alberta clippers) and non-cyclonic storms contribute the least to seasonal snowfall totals across Central New York; however, they are often the catalyst for lake-effect snowstorms in the region, as they advect continental polar air masses that destabilize across the lake. Understanding the actual snowfall contribution from different snowstorm types is needed for future climate predictions. Since the potential trajectory of future snowfall varies according to the type of storm, climate models must accurately predict the type of storm that is producing the snow.

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Section: Introductioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

Section: Snowfall Contributions From Lake-effect Snowsupporting

confidence: 66%

Section: Texas Hook 53mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Seasonal Snowfall Contributions of Different Snowstorm Types in Central New York State

Hartnett

2021

Front. Water

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Ohio River basin snow ablation and the role of rain‐on‐snow

Suriano,

Davidson,

Dixon

et al. 2024

Hydrological Processes

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Snow cover ablation within the Ohio River Basin (ORB) plays an important role in regional hydroclimatology, while also representing a potential hazard during large and rapid events. Rain‐on‐snow ablation is a particular challenge, where runoff rates are typically enhanced due to the dual inputs of snowmelt and liquid precipitation. Here, we present a 40‐year climatology of snow ablation events frequency, intensity, and timing for the ORB using a 4‐km gridded snow‐water‐equivalent dataset, focusing on the relative proportion of events caused by rain‐on‐snow and changes over time. Spatial patterns of snow ablation frequency and intensity mirror that of seasonal snowfall totals, with higher (lower) values in the northern and eastern (southern) portions of the basin. Rain‐on‐snow events represent approximately 40% of all ablation events within the basin and result in approximately 24%–25% more snow‐water‐equivalent loss than non‐rain‐on‐snow events, plus an additional 3–12 mm of liquid precipitation per event on average. Peak frequency of ablation and rain‐on‐snow events occurs in late winter and early spring, similar to that of the surrounding region. Over time, the frequency of ablation and rain‐on‐snow events has decreased in the northern and eastern portions of the basin, in some cases by as much as 30%. Trends in event magnitudes were more isolated but decreased across portions of central IN, northern KY, eastern OH and northern WV. Additionally, the magnitude of precipitation during rain‐on‐snow events has increased across the region, extending from northern KY into western PA by over 100% in many cases. Broadly, we find tendencies towards fewer events with less snow loss but more liquid precipitation that suggest complicated impacts to the hydroclimatology warranting further investigation.

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Intra‐annual snowfall variability in the central United States

Suriano,

Uz,

Loewy

2023

Intl Journal of Climatology

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Snowfall in the central United States has been shown to be highly variable at interannual timescales and subjected to long‐term linear trends. However, limited understanding is available about the intra‐annual variations and trends in snowfall within this region. Using a selection of GHCN daily snowfall observations and statistical analyses, this study develops a monthly climatology of snowfall characteristics in the central United States from 1948 to 2021. Here we find larger magnitude snowfall events have a greater relative frequency to seasonal snowfall late in the snow season, have increased in frequency in the western and northern regions of the basin, and contribute to a bimodal distribution of monthly snowfall in these sub‐regions. While snowfall has significantly increased over time within the northern and western regions of the domain by as much as 83%, snowfall has significantly decreased by much as 46% in the southern and eastern regions. Further, March snowfall totals and event frequencies have declined across the vast majority of the study domain, with maximum decreases in eastern IA of approximately 50%. When coupled with increases in snowfall and snowfall events in February, this suggests a shift in the snowfall season with time in this portion of the study region. Such results may be of particular interest to snow and water resource managers where integration of the nonstationarity of snowfall events and totals with time into management plans may yield better solutions.

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Temporal trends in snowfall contribution induced by lake-effect synoptic types

Cited by 7 publications

References 37 publications

The Seasonal Snowfall Contributions of Different Snowstorm Types in Central New York State

The Seasonal Snowfall Contributions of Different Snowstorm Types in Central New York State

Ohio River basin snow ablation and the role of rain‐on‐snow

Intra‐annual snowfall variability in the central United States

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