Over the years, the states that surround the great lakes in the northeast were hit badly by lake-effect snow storms. There were places that were hit with over four feet of snow. Those states were acquainted with lake-effect snow storms, but it has been a lot of time since they saw them at this level. Some places saw up to 140 inches in less than 12 days. The storm had caused 35 deaths (msn.com 2007). States that are on the leeward, or the downwind, sides of the great lakes receive lake-effect snow every year. For this reason many cities can have up to 400 inches of snowfall. In 2006, the records were broken for the most snowfall in one storm. There was a time when the snow was falling at a rate of six inches or more per hour. It was hard for people to believe that something like this could ever happen despite all the pictures that were captured. Everything was shut down in the city due to the storm. Many places did not even have the equipment that could handle that much snow, and even if they did the task was too overwhelming to handle (weather.com 2006). The way lake-effect snow storms work are rather simple to understand. It starts when the cold arctic air from Canada moves southwest across the Great Lakes, which are warmer than the air. As the air moves across the lakes evaporation begins to happen. The moist air is cooled as it is lifted up it then turns into snow. The snow does not stop until the cold arctic winds stop drifting across the lakes. Hills and valley on the shore of the lakes intensify the amount of snow an area receives. The shore of the lakes as well as, any hills or valleys, cause the masses of moist air to slow down and “pile up”.  Lake-effect snow have a range of different intensities depending upon certain factors. The difference between the air temperature and the water temperature will determine how much moisture is taken into the air. Warmer water and colder air makes for more snow. Also the distance the