(NATIONAL) — Southern Colorado has been on the quiet side lately as far as the weather goes. Multiple days of sunshine and relatively nice temperatures have graced the region for at least a week. Just because it’s quiet here though, doesn’t mean it’s quiet everywhere.

Portions of the Great Lakes region have been battling a multi-day lake effect snow event since the end of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Several feet of snow have been observed and there have been a couple of reports of heart attacks from people in the area who were attempting to shovel all of that snow.

On top of all the lake effect snow warnings, as of Thursday evening, Erie County in Pennsylvania also has a blizzard warning. Blowing snow, gusting winds, and the lake effect snow will make traveling conditions difficult if not impossible through late Friday night.

But what exactly is lake-effect snow? It’s certainly not very common here in Southern Colorado.

For starters, you need a lake. One of the most frequent areas for lake effect snow to occur are in the Great Lakes of the United States.

The lake water needs to be relatively warm compared to its surroundings and it also needs to be unfrozen. The early winter months are the best time for these conditions to line up. Heat and moisture slowly rise from the lake and evaporate up into the lower atmosphere. At the same time, cold air from nearby storm systems will attempt to collide with the warm rising air.

When these air masses interact with each other, under rising conditions, condensation can easily occur leading to clouds. The increase in moisture from the lake, and energy from nearby storm systems, will allow for rapid and efficient snow production down-wind of the lake.

Lake effect snow can be particularly dangerous to those caught under the persistent bands of precipitation. Wind direction is key for organizing the bands of snow and it often dictates which side of a neighborhood gets snow, and which doesn’t. Buffalo New York is a common place for lake effect snow as the National Football League saw last Sunday night.

Lake effect snow is not expected here in Southern Colorado anytime soon, but the region will likely see snow early next week. Be sure to check in with the FOX21 Storm Team for future updates.