Observations of a Finger Lakes Lake-effect Snow Event during the OWLeS Field Project

This observational case study provides a unique examination of a multi-day Finger Lakes lake-effect event which occurred from 20 to 22 January 2014 during the Ontario Winter Lake-effect Systems (OWLeS) field project. This multi-day event featured a variety of subtle changes in wind speed, direction, and other atmospheric variables, which resulted in time periods of lake-effect snow band activity differing in location and intensity in the vicinity of Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, the two largest of the Finger Lakes. The case study analyses use a variety of operational and OWLeS project measurements to examine the synoptic scale evolution during the three-day period, the mesoscale variability leading to differences in snow band location, structure, and intensity, as well as the microscale structure of Finger Lakes lake-effect snow bands using University of Wyoming King Air in-situ and remotely sensed measurements. Several notable aspects of this lake-effect event will be presented and discussed in the context of the previously developed climatology of these events.