Lake-effect snow possible for Niagara on weekend
Snow could be on its way to Niagara this weekend.
With temperatures forecast to drop Saturday and Sunday, and with unfrozen lakes filled with relatively warm water at the moment, the recipe for lakeeffect snow is quite possible, Dave Phillips, senior climatologist with Environment Canada, said Wednesday.
“The lake is like a hot tub out there,” he said referring specifically to Lake Erie.
When cold winds and air travel over bodies of water that have not frozen over, it creates a strong possibility for snowfall, he said.
“There’s always a danger at this time,” he added, expecting that lakes Ontario and Erie should be covered in ice by January or February.
The first winter weather event of the season should always serve as a reminder that it’s time to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature brings in the next few months.
Phillips likened what could fall on the weekend to a “movie trailer” for what will eventually be coming.
“The best snowstorm at the beginning isn’t the one that buries you, it’s one that kind of reminds you we know where we live, we know what season we’re in,” he said.
“It’s kind of important to tell people we know it’s coming, it’s not their imagination.”