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Frozen lakes greatly reduce the amount of moisture available to generate snow, and the lake effect machine is effectively shut off for the year once the lake freezes. Frictional convergence once the wind comes onshore and hits the land, especially if there are high elevations nearby, will allow for some additional lift, but it won't do much.

Lake Erie is really the only Great Lake that freezes completely, and it doesn't do so every year.

Of course, there are shades of grey here. Even when a lake is frozen "completely", there are still ice leads and other small areas that are open and participate in the latent heat fluxes that drive lake effect snow, but again, this won't contribute a lot either. Conversely, all five of the lakes begin to freeze near shorelines and in their shallower waters, so that removes a small source from the fetch of the lake.

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14y ago
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5mo ago

Yes, lake effect snows can still occur even if the Great Lakes are frozen. The temperature difference between the cold air flowing over the warm waters can still create the conditions for lake effect snow to form. However, the extent and intensity of the snow may be less than when the lakes are unfrozen.

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Q: If the great lakes freeze do lake effect snows still happen?
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