Earth Science Lake Effect Questions Name ______Per____ Date ______
1. On the map below, dark-gray areas represent regions of lake-effect snow on a December day.
Which New York State location appears to be experiencing a lake-effect snowstorm? 1) New York City 2) Utica 3) Plattsburgh 4) Watertown 2. The isolines on the map below show snowfall totals from a lake-effect storm that affected a portion of New York State.
The surface winds that produced this storm came from which direction? 1) northwest 2) northeast 3) southeast 4) southwest 3. In winter, a cold, dry air mass from Canada moves across Lake Ontario. The air over the lake is warmer and more humid than the air over the land. Which weather condition is most likely to occur as the air mass reaches Oswego? 1) lake-effect snowstorm 2) tornado 3) warm, sunny weather 4) hurricane
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4. The heavy lake-effect snowfalls in the Tug Hill Plateau region occur primarily because the plateau is located 1) in the path of prevailing winds from Lake Ontario 2) in the Northern Hemisphere 3) near the Atlantic Ocean 4) west of the Hudson-Mohawk Lowlands 5. The striped areas on the map below show regions along the Great Lakes that often receive large amounts of snowfall due to lake-effect storms.
These storms generally develop when 1) cold air moves to the east over warmer lake water 2) cold air moves to the west over warmer land regions 3) warm air moves to the east over colder lake water 4) warm air moves to the west over colder land regions
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6. Which cross section below best represents the conditions that cause early winter lake-effect snowstorms in New York State? 1)
2)
3)
4)
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Base your answers to questions 7 and 8 on the magazine article and diagram below.
Lake-Effect Snow
During the cold months of the year, the words "lake effect" are very much a part of the weather picture in many locations in New York State. Snow created by the lake effect may represent more than half the season's snowfall in some areas. In order for heavy lake-effect snow to develop, the temperature of the water at the surface of the lake must be higher than the temperature of the air flowing over the water. The higher the water temperature and the lower the air temperature, the greater the potential for lake-effect snow. A lake-effect storm begins when air flowing across the lake is warmed as it comes in close contact with the water. The warmed air rises and takes moisture along with it. This moisture, which is water vapor from the lake, is turned into clouds as it encounters much colder air above. When the clouds reach the shore of the lake, they deposit their snow on nearby land. A typical lake-effect storm is illustrated in the diagram below. The area most likely to receive snow from a lake is called a "snowbelt." Lake Ontario's snowbelt includes the counties along the eastern and southeastern ends of the lake. Because the lake runs lengthwise from west to east, the prevailing westerly winds are able to gather the maximum amount of moisture as they flow across the entire length of the lake. There can be lake-effect snowfall anywhere around the lake, but the heaviest and most frequent snowfalls occur near the eastern shore. In parts of the snowbelt, the lake effect combines with a phenomenon known as orographic lifting to produce some very heavy snowfalls. After cold air has streamed over the length of Lake Ontario, it moves inland and is forced to climb the slopes of the Tug Hill Plateau and the Adirondack Mountains, resulting in very heavy snowfall.
7. State why very heavy snowfall occurs in the Tug Hill Plateau region.
8. State the relationship that must exist between water temperature and air temperature for lake-effect snow to develop.
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9. Base your answer to the following question on the map below, which shows a portion of New York State and Canada. The arrows represent the direction of the wind blowing over Lake Ontario for several days early one winter.
Explain why Oswego, New York, usually gets more snow than Toronto, Canada, when the wind is blowing in the direction shown on the map.
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10. Base your answer to the following question on the map below and on your knowledge of Earth science. The map shows the total amount of snowfall, measured in inches, from a lake-effect snow storm that affected western New York from November 17 through November 21, 2014. The 20-inch and 40-inch snowfall isolines have been drawn. Niagara Falls and Cowlesville are labeled on the map.
Describe two actions that people could take to prepare for a forecasted lake-effect snowstorm.
Page 6 Earth Science[Lake Effect Snow Questions[11/22/2019]]- Eduware Classification Total Questions: 10
5.WEATHER AND THE ATMOSPHERE (10) 5.D.Climate Pattern Factors (2) 5.D.iii.Large Bodies of Water / Ocean Current (2) 5.B.Synoptic Weather Data (1) 5.B.ii.Airmass Source Regions (1) 5.C.Atmospheric Energy Exchanges (3) 5.C.iv.Moisture from Atmosphere (3) 5.C.iv.b.Wind - Water Interaction / Sea-Land Breezes (3) 5.E.Constructed Response V (4) Exam Question Summary Lake Effect Snow Questions 11/22/2019
# QID# Ans Thinking Skills Difficulty Standards 1 6850 2 Analyzing Unassigned Large Bodies of Water / Ocean Current 2 7971 1 Unassigned Large Bodies of Water / Ocean Current 3 1863 1 Advanced Airmass Source Regions 4 4306 1 Unassigned Wind - Water Interaction / Sea-Land Breezes 5 7883 1 Unassigned Wind - Water Interaction / Sea-Land Breezes 6 6587 1 Unassigned Wind - Water Interaction / Sea-Land Breezes 7 4468 n/a Unassigned Constructed Response V 8 4465 n/a Unassigned Constructed Response V 9 7224 n/a Unassigned Constructed Response V 10 8452 n/a Unassigned Constructed Response V
Page 8 Answer Key Lake Effect Snow Questions
1. 2 10. — Have warm clothing/blankets. — 2. 1 Purchase salt or 3. 1 grit/sand. — Check 4. 1 for sufficient medicine. — Make 5. 1 sure that extra 6. 1 batteries are available. — Have rising or cooling air or 7. flashlights handy. — increased Make sure that condensation or generators are in orographic lifting working condition. — 8. Examples: – The Make sure that cell temperature of the phone is charged. — lake water at the Stock up on water. — surface must be Stock up on food. — higher than the Have temperature of the air snowblowers/snow flowing over the shovels ready. water. – Water temperature is warmer than air temperature. 9. — The air travels over Lake Ontario toward Oswego, picking up moisture that results in more snow. — The air over Toronto contains less moisture. — Lake-effect storms occur on the eastern side of the lake when the wind is blowing in the direction shown.
Page 9 Question ID's in Numerical Order
3. 1863 4. 4306 8. 4465 7. 4468 6. 6587 1. 6850 9. 7224 5. 7883 10. 8452 2. 7971
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