Lake-effect snow, in plain English
Cold air crosses the open lake, picks up moisture, and dumps it on the first high ground it meets. That's lake effect — and it's why one U.P. town can get fourteen inches while the next town gets flurries.
What it means for your ride
- Wind direction is everything. A northwest wind buries the Keweenaw and the eastern shore; a north wind hits Marquette and Munising; small shifts move the band, not just its strength.
- High ground wins. The ridges inland from Superior — the Keweenaw, the Porcupines, the Huron Mountains, the high country behind Grand Marais — wring out the most snow.
- It changes in an hour. A band parked over your trail at breakfast can be gone by lunch. Our morning report names the bands, not just the totals.
- Whiteouts are the danger. The same squalls that powder your trail can zero out the road home. We flag them as safety news, not just snow news.
Our weather comes from the National Weather Service offices in Marquette and Gaylord — the people who issue the warnings — cross-checked every morning.