On the Great Lakes, winter storms compound the ice threat by bringing a variety of wind, wave, and weather problems. On average, how often do these storms occur?
• Typical frequency of strong winter storms on the Great Lakes as described in standard maritime weather references or Great Lakes climatology texts • Relationship between rapidly changing weather patterns and average storm intervals in mid-latitude regions • How ice conditions and navigation planning are affected by recurring storm systems during the winter season
• Think about how quickly weather changes on the Great Lakes in winter—would mariners plan around storms happening only once a week, or more frequently? • Consider how often a vessel making regular trips in winter would realistically encounter strong storms—would they expect one per trip, or several? • If storms strongly affect ice formation and movement, would that influence occur on a slow (weekly) cycle or a more frequent, shorter cycle?
• Compare which options sound too infrequent for notorious Great Lakes winter weather and which might be too frequent to be realistic over an entire season • Visualize a typical winter month (about 30 days) and estimate how many major storms would be reasonable over that period using each answer choice • Ask yourself which answer best matches the Great Lakes’ reputation for frequent, fast-moving winter systems rather than rare events
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