Near Whiteout Conditions
•Light winds within heaviest lake effect band (UVV’s/low level convergence) •Large snowflake size (per max upward motions in saturated cloud layer in favorable dendritic snow growth region) •Low snow density led to quick snowfall accumulations
Key aspect of snowfall density is the role of in-cloud vertical motions, The max growth rate is expected to occur near the level of max upward air motion within the cloud, where the greatest water vapor is delivery occurs (Auer and White 1982)
Some ice crystals will grow relative to their neighbors within the cloud and begin to fall, thus removing the smaller particles, if this occurs aggregation leads to the formation of large snowflakes and relatively low snow density.
Ice crystal falling through a cloud of super cooled water droplets will lead to rimed crystals and very high snow densities.