The experiment headquarters is in Ann Arbor, and the aircraft are also based there. This is important in understanding the atmospheric boundary layer, the kilometer of air closest to the earth. A better understanding of these processes could improve weather and climate forecasting. Snowfalls at lakeside may be twice as deep as they are only 100 kilometers inland. These heavy snowstorms occur when a low-pressure system, or cyclone, moves north and east of the lakes.
Several processes induce the snows.
First, frigid though the lake water may be, it is warmer than the air above it. As cold air passes over the relatively warm lake in fall and winter, the air is warmed, moistened, and destabilized. The resulting clouds produce snow over the lake and along the downwind shores. Since the prevailing winds are from the west, the east ends of the lakes get the heaviest snow. The second contributing factor for the lake effect is the difference in friction between the smoother water and bumpier ground.