Lake effect snow or enhancement can last either a few minutes or much longer.
When it does happen it can make the roads a mess and Thursday morning was a prime example of this.
What happens is the lake is warmer than the air around it, and warm air rises, so when a storm moves over top of the lake, the warm moist air from the lake rises,condenses, forms a cloud, and as it travels over the cooler land surface it snows. Wind direction is key with lake enhancement and for Spanish Springs, Fernley, or north Reno to get snow from Pyramid Lake our winds have to come from the northeast, and for Carson and Washoe Valley to get snow from Tahoe it usually comes from the west.
As the wind direction changes the lake effect snow machine is able to stop.
Lake effect snow can produce anywhere from a few inches of snowfall to upwards of a foot depending on conditions. This can be very hard to predict, but when it does develop plan on a messy commute.Â
