Very heavy lake effect snow likely in the wake of weekend storm

Regardless of what precipitation mode this weekend's upcoming storm will bring to the rest of us, those in the snowbelts and possibly even into west-central lower Michigan may be either delighted or mortified to hear about what's coming next.

The ECMWF (along with other models) is predicting a blockbuster lake effect snow to fall on Sunday, January 10th. We're talking several feet possible in some areas.

This run in particular indicates snowfall rates of 1.5 to 2 inches (3-4cm) per hour. But - and this is the big but - that's assuming a 10:1 snow to liquid ratio. One of the reasons lake effect snows tend to be so much more impressive than the typical snowstorm is that the snow to liquid ratio is usually higher, as temperatures are colder. Arctic blasts over warm lakes are what produce these snows, and when you have temperatures in the 20s or even the teens, you wind up with snow to liquid ratios which are more like 12:1 or even 15:1. That will make for some very impressive snowfall totals. Winter storm warnings are almost a given regardless of the scenario.

Other models are showing some differences in which areas will receive the most snow. Mark Torregrossa has put together an excellent preliminary snow predictor for the weekend, which you can see below:

Courtesy of Mark Torregrossa

Be sure to check out his full post at MLive.com for more information on what makes this setup so powerful for lake effect snow.