lake effect

noun

: a meteorological phenomenon in which warm moist air rising from a body of water mixes with cold dry air overhead resulting in precipitation especially downwind

—usually hyphenated when used attributively

lake-effect snows

Examples of lake effect in a Sentence

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See also upstate New York and Pennsylvania, where Lake Erie and Lake Ontario provide ample moisture for massive lake effect events that dump snow on places like Erie County, New York (47.5 inches in a day in 2014) and Oswego County, New York (40 inches in 1958). —

Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, 9 Jan. 2025 Meanwhile, in Cuyahoga, Medina, Portage, and Summit Counties, as well as Ashtabula, Geauga, and Lake Counties, the NWS has warned that there will be periods of heavy lake effect snow with snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour on Saturday. —

Martha McHardy, Newsweek, 4 Jan. 2025 During this season, parts of the state tend to see heavy lake effect snow, particularly in northern Michigan and coastal regions along the Great Lakes. —

Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 31 Dec. 2024 A couple make their way through lake effect snow in Hamburg, N.Y., on Saturday. —

Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lake effect