THE CLIMATOLOGY OF LAKE EFFECT IN MILWAUKEE,WISCONSIN |
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| Authors: | Thomas B Williams |
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| Institution: | Indiana University—Purdue University at Indianapolis , Indianapolis, Indiana 46202 |
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| Abstract: | Prevailing onshore winds off Lake Michigan in the warm season (April-October) cause cooling along the adjacent coast during the day. Mesoscale lake breeze formation occurs most frequently in August. Synoptic-aided lake breezes, which combine mesoscale inputs with existing large-scale conditions, are most prevalent in May. Lake breezes are favored by high pressure and airmass weather patterns. Synoptic lake effect dominates in April; large-scale onshore flow is often produced by high pressure, post-cold front, and pre-warm front weather conditions. Overall, lake cooling is experienced 60% of the time during the warmer months. The highest frequency of lake effect is found in May. The cooling impact of Lake Michigan across the Milwaukee area is maximized since spring is the season of greatest contrast in land and lake temperatures. Lake-effect conditions in the cool season (November-March) occur less frequently. Onshore flow off the warmer lake reduces cooling at night along the Milwaukee shoreline. Synoptic lake effect is dominant, with a peak in March. Lake snow and mesoscale land breeze developments are most frequent in midwinter, when large land-lake thermal contrasts exist during outbreaks of cold polar air under high pressure patterns. Key words: lake effect, climatology, mesoscale, onshore winds.] |
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