Lake Effect 101: Where are the Primary & Secondary Snowbelts?

By Frank Macek

CLEVELAND -- Whether you have lived in Northeast Ohio your whole live or are new to the area, you know winter is here. But do you really know where the primary and second snowbelts are?

In the fall and spring, northeast Ohio sees ripe conditions for lake effects snow that can dump feet of snow in one area and leave others with very little, if anything.

In Northeast Ohio, the primary snowbelt is east of Cleveland in Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula Counties. Eastern Cuyahoga County is also included in this area when the conditions are just right.

So what do you need for lake effect snows? An ice free lake, north to northwest winds and higher terrain which provides lift to the air that forces the moisture to fall in the form of heavy snow.

The secondary snowbelt is generally Trumbull, northern Portage and Summit, Medina and eastern Lorain County. Although this area usually doesn't receive a lot of lake effect, it can when the winds are more northerly. This wind direction can also tap the huge reserves of moisture over Lake Huron as well and deposit plentiful snow at times.

WKYC Meteorologist Bruce Kalinowski takes a look at lake effect in more detail.