The percent contribution for LES snowfall to the seasonal snowfall varied spatially near each lake with localized maxima and ranged in magnitudes from 10% to over 70%. In general, LES snowfall exhibited a maximum contribution in near-shoreline areas surrounding each lake while non-LES snowfall tended to provide a more widespread distribution throughout the entire study regions with maxima often located in regions of elevated terrain.

To enhance understanding of the regional hydroclimatology, this research examined these separate contributions with a focus on the cold seasons (October–March) of 2009/2010, a time period with the number of LES days substantially less than the mean, and 2012/2013, a time period with the number of LES days notably greater than the mean, for the regions surrounding Lakes Erie, Michigan, and Ontario. In the Great Lakes region, total cold-season snowfall consists of contributions from both lake-effect systems (LES) and non-LES snow events. 3Department of Geoscience, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY, United States.2Departments of Mathematics and Geography, State University of New York Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, United States.1Department of Earth Sciences, Millersville University, Millersville, PA, United States.

Chicago snow totals 2011