Stunning Satellite Photos Show Great Lakes Buried in Snow

Arctic air surged across the Great Lakes and dumped feet of lake-effect snow in some locations.

The Great Lakes region faced a harsh winter storm in December 2024, with significant snowfall and cold snaps captured by satellite. Northern Michigan and western New York were particularly hard hit, though the extreme weather was brief.

Wintry Blast Hits Great Lakes

A fierce winter storm swept across the Great Lakes region in mid-December 2024, as icy air moved over open water, producing intense lake-effect snow. Some towns were buried under several feet of snow, while freezing temperatures and strong winds spread across the area.

On December 12, the NOAA-21 satellite’s VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) captured images of the event. Both natural-color (upper image) and false-color (lower image) views revealed clouds streaming over the lakes and snow-covered land. In the false-color image, a blend of visible and infrared light (bands M11-I2-I1) made clouds appear white and snow light blue, though small ice crystals in high-altitude clouds also showed a bluish tint. Vegetation appeared bright green, offering a sharp contrast to the wintry landscape.

Formation of Lake-Effect Snow

The parallel bands of clouds, or cloud streets, visible over the Great Lakes form when frigid, dry air blows across relatively warm lake water and picks up water vapor. The water vapor freezes into ice crystals, forming clouds that extend in the direction of the wind. When the moist air reaches the opposite shore, it can fall as lake-effect snow.

Extreme Snowfall and Weather Conditions

Snow accumulated on land downwind of the lakes, especially in northern Michigan and western New York, on December 12 and 13. Totals reached several feet in some pockets. Weather stations in Munising and Gaylord, Michigan, recorded over 14 and 17 inches (36 and 43 centimeters), respectively, over those two days. Meanwhile, in New York, Elma Center, just east of Buffalo, received 38 inches (97 centimeters) in that time. These totals come on top of the 46 inches that had fallen there earlier in the month.

Impact on Regional Weather

Though the heaviest snow was localized, wintry conditions affected the wider region. Wind gusts reached 40 miles (64 kilometers) per hour around the Great Lakes, according to news reports, and the wind chill dipped below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius) across the Upper Midwest, including in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Chicago, Illinois. The wintry blast was short-lived, however, and temperatures warmed on December 14 as the coldest air shifted eastward.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS).

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