^ yep, lake erie is a perfect demonstration of the phenomenon.
toledo (west end of lake erie):
37.6" of snow
cleveland (mid-section of lake erie):
68.1" of snow
buffalo (east end of lake erie):
94.7" of snow
that's quite the gradient for a mountainless region all roughly at the same latitude only spanning ~250 miles
it's all about the prevailing west-to-east winds in the region soaking up moisture as they pass over the lakes, and then dumping it as lake effect snow on the eastern shores.
st. joe/benton harbor is only a mere 60 miles east of chicago across lake michigan, but because it's on the "wrong" side of the lake, they get more than double the amount of snowfall over there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iheartthed
Cleveland and Detroit are only 90 miles apart,
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huh, i've never noticed how truly close detroit and cleveland are, geographically speaking.
because lake erie makes the drive between them roughly twice as long, they seem like they should be further away from each other than they are.
chicago and milwaukee are 80 miles apart, but because the drive between them is essentially a straight shot, they feel much more in the same "neighborhood".