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Lake
Effect Snow
Lake effect snows occur when
a mass of cold air moves
over a body of warmer water.
Materials: a
cookie sheet, a tub or sink
- Chill one cookie
sheet in the freezer.
- Fill the tub with
hot water.
- Hold the cold cookie
sheet about 4 inches
over the hot water tub.
Wait for two minutes and
observe what happens.
The cold water tub
represents a large lake
(like the Great Salt Lake)
during the winter. Did the
temperature of the cold
cookie sheet get warmer?
That demonstrates how water
that is warmer than the air
affects the air temperature.
Did you notice moisture
forming on the bottom of the
cookie sheet? The water
vapor from the warm water
condensed on the cookie
sheet. Condensation is how
clouds form. You might have
even noticed some drops of
water forming on the bottom
of the cookie sheet. These
drops in nature could be the
beginning of snowflake
formation. |
