The writer is very fast, professional and responded to the review request fast also. Thank you.
Part I Lake Effect Basics
The three factors normally needed to form precipitation include (1) sufficient moisture, (2) lifting mechanism, and (3) instability. Lake effect snow forms when a cold air mass (cP, mP, or cA) moves over a relatively warm lake surface. This creates and/or enhances these three factors by:
(1) As cold (and possibly dry) air moves over the warm lake, some water evaporates modifying the air mass. (This can be important for lake effect snow over the Great Lakes, but is less important over the Great Salt Lake.)
(2) When the lake is warmer than the surrounding cold land a temperature difference is created. This temperature difference creates a pressure difference. This pressure difference causes air to move together toward the center of the lake. This is called Thermal Convergence. As the air converges it rises, creating a lifting mechanism.
(3) When a cold air mass moves over the warm lake a steep lapse rate is created. Steep lapse rates indicate an unstable atmosphere.
This video gives a brief overview of how lake effect snow forms over the Great Lakes:
3D Look at How Lake-Effect Snow Forms! (Links to an external site.)
Part II Great Salt Lake Effect Snow
Similar processes occur over the Great Salt Lake. However, because the Great Salt Lake (GSL) is much smaller than the Great Lakes, its lake effect tend to be less severe and less frequent. But at times it can still create heavy snowfall in northern Utah.
Recent research at the University of Utah has improved the techniques used to forecast GSL effect snow:
Based on the article above, answer the following questions:
1. What two times of year is GSL effect snow most frequent?
2. What time of day is GSL effect snow most frequent?
3. The authors identified two key factors in forecasting GSL effect snow: (lake-700mb) temperature difference and (850-700mb) relative humidity. How do these two factors combine to determine the probability of GSL effect snow? (Hint: describe the graph that plots both of the factors.)
Part III Forecasting GSL Effect Snow
Based on the research above, the authors created a forecasting tool that includes (lake-700mb) temperature difference, (850-700mb) relative humidity, 700mb wind direction and speed, and 700-500mb lapse rate to create a probabilistic forecast of GSL effect snow. You can take a look at the tool here (it updates real time):
http://weather.utah.edu/text/LAKE_EFFECT.txt (Links to an external site.)
Another method forecasters use are check lists. Here is a check list forecasters use for forecasting GSL effect snow:
Now, you will be the forecaster!
Use the following weather maps to help you forecast the likelihood of GSL effect snow:
4. Using the maps above, find the value of ALL of the factors below at 6pm (the current time) AND 6am (the next morning). Describe how the value or character of each changes throughout the evening.
a. Wind Direction and Speed
b. Wind Direction change from surface to 700mb
c. Lake surface temperature
d. 700mb temperature
e. Lake surface-700mb temperature difference
f. 850-700mb relative humidity (hint: look at Discussion “IL-8 Calculating relative humidity from stuve diagram”)
g. Location of surface low
h. Location of 700mb trough
5. Based off the data you collected in Question 4, what do you think the likelihood is for Great Salt Lake Effect snow in the Salt Lake Valley during the night?
6. How many snowplows do you think UDOT should keep out overnight for the Salt Lake Valley (between 0 and 25)? Why did you choose this number?
Now, let’s see what happened! Take a look at the radar imagery for the evening, and read the precipitation summary:
7. Did your lake effect forecast verify? What do you think went wrong or right with your forecast?
8. Do you think you chose the right number of snowplows for the Salt Lake Valley on this night? Why or why not?
9. Describe at least three reasons why weather forecasting is challenging.
Delivering a high-quality product at a reasonable price is not enough anymore.
That’s why we have developed 5 beneficial guarantees that will make your experience with our service enjoyable, easy, and safe.
You have to be 100% sure of the quality of your product to give a money-back guarantee. This describes us perfectly. Make sure that this guarantee is totally transparent.
Read moreEach paper is composed from scratch, according to your instructions. It is then checked by our plagiarism-detection software. There is no gap where plagiarism could squeeze in.
Read moreThanks to our free revisions, there is no way for you to be unsatisfied. We will work on your paper until you are completely happy with the result.
Read moreYour email is safe, as we store it according to international data protection rules. Your bank details are secure, as we use only reliable payment systems.
Read moreBy sending us your money, you buy the service we provide. Check out our terms and conditions if you prefer business talks to be laid out in official language.
Read more