Dallas weather: What is lake-effect snow?

Dallas weather: Jan. 15 Forecast | 5 p.m. Update

Lake-effect snow covered much of North Texas on Monday. FOX 4 meteorologist Dan Henry explains how lake-effect forms and what to expect in the coming days.

Much of the snow that fell in North Texas on Sunday night and Monday morning was lake-effect snow.

It's a phenomenon that people in areas like Buffalo and Cleveland are very familiar with, but it's not something we typically see in Texas.

Lake-effect snow develops when cold, dry air moves over warm lake water.

As that cold air passes over the lakes, warmth and moisture from the water are picked up and transferred into the lowest portion of the Earth’s atmosphere. This rising air condenses into clouds, which can grow into narrow bands.

Those narrow, finger-like bands of snow are a dead giveaway that it was created by lake-effect.

Wind direction is an important factor in determining which areas will receive lake-effect snow. In many instances, snow might fall in one location while the sun is shining just a mile or two away.

"When you have these open lakes and the lake temperatures are in the 40s and all of a sudden these very strong winds blow across the lake and they are cold winds, it’s picking up the moisture off the lake and depositing it on the other side in the form of a band," said Meteorologist Evan Andrews.

Bands were seen off of Ray Roberts, Lewisville, Grapevine Lakes among others.

FOX Weather contributed to this story.