Earthscapes
The Northshore
Water's Weight
on Weather
by Bob Dvorak
Click on underlined words
for more information
 Weather is constantly affecting the environment. This
statement is extremely true in the areas of the Northshore. Lake Superior
has an extremely great effect on the climate, precipitation, and moisture
that surrounds the Northshore. It is the creator of much of the typical
weather patterns that arise in northeastern Minnesota.
The lake itself is very cold. Temperatures of the water range in the
40's and 50's consistently, even in the summertime. One
will rarely see people swimming without a wet suit even on the warmest of
summer days. The reason the lake is so cold is that the sun
is never powerful enough to heat the entire body of water. As you can see
with a pot on the stove, the more water you have in it, the slower it will
take to boil. The lake never is heated enough to greatly change the temperature.
This is also why the Lake Superior region is so cold.Cold masses of air
flow off the lake and onto the mainland creating a "sea breeze".
This breeze is usually enough to keep people wearing long pants and light
jackets well into the month of June.
Moisture is one of the key factors to weather systems around the world.
Considering the Northshore is next to the largest freshwater lake in North
America, finding moisture usually isn't the probably.
Water vapor is constantly causing a fog to be over the
shoreline on the cooler days. As the day warms up and the sun comes out,
the water vapor condenses in  the form of puffy cumulus
clouds and wispy cirrus clouds. The region has a very high
precipitation levels that allow a very rich and diverse
amount of plants to grow.
Bringing your rain coat is usually a good idea in northeastern Minnesota.
Rain is often frequent and can change a quiet, slow moving river into a
raging rapid river in a matter of a few short hours. Without the water that
fills the lake and streams in the area, the region would be very rocky and
static. It is water that drives the weather forces, providing moisture for
fog, water droplets for rain, ice crystals for snow, and water vapor for
clouds. All of that water causing so much to happen in the Northshore
 Back to the Northshore Earthscape
 
Disclaimer and Copyright
 The precipitation in the region
is very interesting when the setting is taken into consideration. The Lake
Superior shores are located in northeastern Minnesota, not exactly the
tropical rain forests of Brazil or the equator. However, like the rain forests,
the shoreline provides a very unique ecosystem. Both deciduous and coniferous
trees grow in the rocky soil. The humidity and water allows for many plants
to survive in an area that would usually be associated with a dry temperate
climate. As seen this picture, birch trees as well as pine trees can grow
in the soil next to the lake. One can walk through Tettegouche
State Park and find numerous species of plants and animals making their
homes on the shores of Lake Superior.
Back
 The mist or fog that just seems to
roll in. The person running out into the fog and disappearing. Mist or fog
can always amazing and give people a feeling of mystery. Fog is actually
low level clouds. It is caused when moisture in the air is able to condense
on particles in the area close to the ground. It is these closely condensed
water droplets that give the appearance of fog. As the sun comes out and
warms the ground, the temperature in the air no longer allows the water
droplets to condense on the particles and the fog disappears as magically
as it rolls in.
Back
 As the sun slowly filters through
the high pine trees at the Deep Portage research station in Hackensack,
MN, one is only reminded of the importance of the sun to our weather. As
the driving force of evaporation (see the Water Cycle),
the sun provides the air with moisture. This water vapor is the substance
that eventually forms the rain droplets that hit the earth, the snow that
covers the ground and the mist the blankets the Northshore's bluffs and
cliffs with mystery and majesty. The Northshore has an ample supply of water
and people are constantly experiencing the elements of water in their weather.
Top
| 
