Eastern Molehills and Retro Areas

[MarzNC]

There is no Lake Effect at Platekill. Zero.

Did you ever ski Plattekill on a powder day? Or compare snowfall from a major snowstorm between Plattekill and nearby ski resorts?

I finished a ski safari in mid-February with a few hours at Windham (using Ikon) and stayed overnight as close to Plattekill as practical. Snowed overnight. Powder turns the next day, which was the Friday of Pres. Day week. Pretty sure it was more snow than at Hunter, Windham, or Belleayre.

Grand Gorge, 13 miles from Plattekill, February 25, 2022, 7am

Plattekill lodge, February 25, 2022, 9am

 

[Tony Crocker]

compare snowfall from a major snowstorm between Plattekill and nearby ski resorts?

It doesn't matter what the moisture source is. Plattekill is on the NW edge of the Catskills, first mountain of that elevation with some orographic uplift. It should exceed the other Catskill areas.

 

[jasoncapecod]

There is no Lake Effect at Platekill. Zero.

I lived in Upstate NY and on the Hudson River. Look - Lake Effect rarely hits Binghamton.


The Lake Effect idea began when new owners needed something to market. And inflate snow numbers. And insanity.

I say this with peace and love and no disrespect
Bullshit
I have seen on radar streamers coming off of Lake Ontario directly affecting the western cats

 

[jamesdeluxe]

There is no Lake Effect at Plattekill. Zero.

That was my conclusion, now free to say that since corroborated by someone who has lived in the region.

Bullshit. I have seen on radar streamers coming off of Lake Ontario directly affecting the western cats

Harvey and Jason have posted or linked to many NOAA radar maps of those Lake Ontario streamers on NY Ski Forum over the years. The "There is no Lake Effect at Plattekill. Zero." claim is up there with "the 2020 election was rigged."

Speaking of "the election was rigged," here's former Admin mentioning lake effect in 2004 with the map below: not west coast atmospheric-river level, but it's there.

Ski Plattekill: Powder Daize

Roxbury, NY – The weather radio crackled with a Winter Storm Warning issued by the National Weather Service in Albany. Six to 10 inches of snow were expected overnight in New York State&#8217…

www.firsttracksonline.com

 

[Harvey]

I can't spot Plattekill precisely on this map but the western Cats are clearly impacted by Lake Ontario.

Not sure what the official difference is between "lake effect" and "lake enhanced" but, it's obvious that the more north and west you go in the Cats, the greater the impact of Ontario.

The Lake Effect Snowfall Map • NYSkiBlog Directory

Great Lakes snowfall is dramatically influenced by lake effect snow which is common across the map during the late fall and winter.

nyskiblog.com

I've seen Gore get lake effect (it's rare), I've even seen NJ getting lake effect, and Cape Cod!

On the other side, Plattekill often gets a little less from a nor'easter (vs Belle), but then after the storm passes, Plattekill benefits from the northwest flow.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

According to the map, it appears that half of the western Cats snowfall is lake effect-related? Look at the bullseye on West Virginia.

 

[Skieric]

According to the map, it appears that half of the western Cats snowfall is lake effect-related? Look at the bullseye on West Virginia.

I suspect that West Virginia has enough elevation and perhaps some other unique geography that provides orthographic enhancement. It's rather far from the great lakes, with no other mtns to the west.

 

[MarzNC]

For an example of what can happen in WV, here's the forecast for Pres. Day week last season. Brad Panovich has been doing video forecasts for SkiSoutheast for years. Doesn't get to ski much in NC, but does take a ski vacation out west at least once a season.

Brad is the chief meteorologist at a TV station is Charlotte. He's from northern Ohio. Early on in his career, he was the first Chief Meteorologist in Traverse City, Michigan. Plenty of lake effect there!

Posted February 13, 2025

 

[Tony Crocker]

I suspect that West Virginia has enough elevation and perhaps some other unique geography that provides orthographic enhancement. It's rather far from the great lakes, with no other mtns to the west.

This is at least 90% orographic uplift being on the western side of a mountain range. The bigger the mountains, the more the effect. WV and the Catskills are big in regional context. They also have a SW to NE orientation which means typical west-to-east weather systems will hit them somewhat perpendicular. This is illustrated by the map link posted above.

The high snow band is oriented exactly west-to-east and Lake Ontario is north of it! The localized 11-14 is orographic enhancement in the Catskills.

My Google Earth grazing showed the Adirondacks as having a west-to-east orientation, which will cut down on that orographic uplift most of the time.

I read these same discussions about Great Salt Lake effect and Steenburgh says it's less than 10% impact on Wasatch snowfall.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

I read these same discussions about Great Salt Lake effect and Steenburgh says it's less than 10% impact on Wasatch snowfall.

Less than 10%? How's that possible, not enough fetch?

 

[Tony Crocker]

How's that possible, not enough fetch?

In general yes. The maximum fetch was (less now as the Salt Lake is shrinking) 80 miles on a NW to SE flow. If you extend that NW-SE line it hits the Wasatch at the base of LCC. Google Earth shows that maximum is now 66 miles, and the direct west-to-east fetch that you see off the back of Snowbasin is only 22 miles.