BUFFALO, N.Y. — It’s that time of the year again when our meteorologists are tracking summer storms. Depending on where you call home, you might tend to get pummeled by severe storms, or see no rain. Why is that? Spectrum News 1 Meteorologist Dan Russell has the answer.

What You Need To Know

  • Lake Erie has a cooling effect on Buffalo 

  • Unlike the winter, when the lake causes active weather, in the summer, it has the opposite effect

  • Prevailing westerlies and Lake Breeze boundaries are just two reasons why Buffalo has never hit 100 degrees

  •  Height of a severe weather probability is July 1

Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the Great Lakes. Seven million people rely on its freshwater, and as turns out, you can thank it for our milder summers.

“So we all know lake effect snow, and how the lakes cause active weather during the winter time,” Russell said. “Well, during the summer months, it has the opposite effect.”

That’s just putting it simply. We’ll start with lake temperature and its effect on land temperature.

“Some of the surface water temperatures on Lake Erie can get into the upper 70s around 80, but Lake Ontario, because it is deeper, typically only warms into the 60s around 70s," said Russell.

Because of that, the further you go from the lake, the warmer it will be. For example, Buffalo only averages three 90-degree days a year. It has never hit 100. Rochester averages nine days of 90 degrees or more, and Syracuse and Albany average 10 days.

Russell says we live in a climate zone called the prevailing westerlies. This means there’s a constant flow coming off the lake, which keeps us cooler. Then there are Lake Breeze boundaries, which form a boundary that acts as a mini-weather front. Visually, you can see it from space. It’s called a lake shadow.

“You can see the outline of the lake because it will be surrounded by white clouds,” Russell said. “From a satellite perspective, it looks like a shadow; on the surface, it translates into sunshine. That’s why I call it lake effect sunshine.”

Russell says there’s no defined line of where this shadow ends. You can just feel, and in some cases, see it.

“Once you get away from the Great Lakes, you can see how the probability increases immensely,” Russell showed on his computer. “Especially into the Ohio Valley, stretching into the Midwest, not too far away, but you can see that big dip here across the Great Lakes where that probability does decrease.”

Severe thunderstorm watch vs. warning

If you find yourself in a severe thunderstorm watch, it means conditions are right. A warning means it is on the way.

“If a storm is moving at 50 to 60 miles an hour like we see with some of these storms, it could be a matter of minutes,” Russell said.

So take shelter, get away from windows and if you have one, head to the basement. It’s the same idea for tornado watches and warnings.

Tornado watch vs. warning

“While tornadoes are rare, they do happen across the state, especially in places like Binghamton and stretching into Eastern New York,” Russell said. “And that is one of those situations like a severe thunderstorm warning, when you hear a tornado warning, obviously you want to get into that interior room.”

The bathroom, the bathtub especially, is a great place to seek shelter if you don’t have a basement. Closets and hallways work as well. Find something sturdy to hide under or place over you to shelter from falling debris. Also, it’s recommended everyone has shoes on. This way if there is damage, your feet are protected as you walk through.

The height of a severe weather probability is July 1.

The Spectrum News 1 team will keep you updated every 10 minutes.