Lake Effect Snow along Route 177 in Lewis County

Two plow trucks here: the first chewing into the bank with a snow blower; the second cleaning up with the plow. Snow on the Tug Hill Plateau is very deep now. The wind blows up here, and it can snow for days.

The Great Lakes are all snow producers. Winds from the west pick up moisture and deposit it as snow or rain further east. This winter has been cold enough to freeze the other four lakes, quieting the lake effect, but Lake Ontario is only 45% frozen and is still generating major storms.