Lake Effect: Tales of Large Lakes, Arctic Winds, and Recurrent Snows

Syracuse University professor Monmonier renders isolated weather incidents unexpectedly engrossing. Lake-effect storms occur when freezing northern winds howl across the warmer waters of sufficiently large and deep lakes, picking up evaporation and depositing it in the form of sudden and startlingly large snow storms on the leeward side. While early chapters on recognizing and predicting these storms require slogging through dates and charts, Monmonier makes up for it with tales of epic snowfalls in tiny towns like Bennett’s Ridge, Barnes Corners, and Lowville where residents debate school closures, and street clearing while keeping a close eye on their national snow-fall records, and competing for the coveted Golden Snowball Award. Culminating in an engaging guided tour with the author and his wife, Marge, through snow-choked villages in the Tug Hill area of New York (Lewis County), the book overcomes all Weather Channel wonkery as a charmingly executed slice of Americana. 14 b/w illus, 59 maps, 9 graphs. (Sept.)