That seems pretty common off lower Michigan; must be the updraft off the lake is continuing as the winds slam into the shore? It takes a certain length of "fetch" across the lake to get the snow machine going. Sometimes it stays above freezing on the shoreline too, with the strong onshore breezes keeping things closer to the lake's water temp. Lake effect rain is occasionally a thing, too.Lake Effect is a really strange thing. For a number of years I lived essentially on Lake Michigan. We didn't get much snow. For some reason, it would skip over the shoreline itself and the heavy "lake effect" would start a mile or 15 miles from the lake. Now I live a few miles from the lake and have more snow to play with.
You also have to remember buffalo and alot of western NY will get lake effect until the lake freezes. Some years it dosnt and some it does. So the average snowfall of 80-90in may only happen in early and late winter. They may get nothing in jan/Feb.Figured you might not be able to resist chiming in with some snark, lol.
First of all 230” is absolutely in the higher end of annual snow totals.
Second, buffalo has a low annual average because they do not get consistent, continuous lake-effect like you often do. But i dont recall houghton ever getting a 5 or 6 foot dump in a two day event. You dont have the long lake “fetch” or warmer water temps of lake erie. When cold air blows hard in just the right direction in November, Buffalo gets effect dumpage like you can only dream of (in reality, its a life threatening danger).