Question

TO TELL THE CLASS THE PHYSICS BEHIND YOUR INABILITY OR DIFFICULTIES TO WALK ON A WINTER SNOW/ICY FIELD.

Answer 1

Both depth and surface area are important. In order to have heavy lake-effect snow, cold air must travel over at least 60 miles of relatively warmer open water. Therefore, the bigger the lake, the more snow that falls.

As for water depth, it's important that the lake not freeze in order to maintain the open water required for lake-effect snow formation. Lake Erie is the shallowest and has the smallest volume of the Great Lakes. Because of its shallowness, it is the warmest of the Great Lakes, which means that it can generate impressive snows early in the winter. However, it cools rapidly during the course of the winter and is the only Great Lake prone to freezing over, at which time lake-effect snows are effectively "turned off."