THEODORE NIKODEM (1:123/140) wrote to STEVEN HORN at 03:05 on 24 Jan 2008:

 TN> Green Bay isn't that far from here (possible 150km northwest).
 TN> However, the weather is often quite different.  It isn't the
 TN> distance that makes the difference; there is a very large body of
 TN> water (lake Michigan) between us. 

 TN> Weather moves from the west to the east, across the lake.  The lake
 TN> is warmer than land for most of the winter. Thus cold, dry air
 TN> moves from the east shore (Green Bay), across the lake, to
 TN> Michigan. As it does, the warmer (less cold?) water of the lake
 TN> slightly raises temperatures but also raises the humidity quite a
 TN> bit.

 TN> Once the weather reaches the western shore, the colder land causes
 TN> all the humidity to condense and fall as snow.  Our winter
 TN> temperatures are slightly warmer but our snowfall is much greater
 TN> than in Green Bay. 

 TN> I guess I can accept the current -13C temperature for winter. At
 TN> least it isn't above the freezing point.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly where you live in Michigan but that
is not critical to this discussion.  I take the point about the effect of
the lake but wonder if the winds ever go the other way, toward Green Bay? 
And is it now warmer in winter because the lake no longer freezes?

As for your -13øC, I would like that a great deal more than our -32øC.  I'm
not used to that any longer.

Take care,

Steven Horn (steven.horn{at}northwestel.net)
Moderator, ALASKA_CHAT 
--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+