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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Amounts are much higher for those under lake effect snow warnings, with the NWS offices in Buffalo, New York, and Cleveland, Ohio, warning of up to 20 inches of snow.
—
Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
This is due to lake effect snow showers.
—Ron Smiley, CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
Parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes region are expected to see lake effect snow this week.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 25 Nov. 2025
On Thanksgiving day and into the end of the week, expect snow in northern Michigan from the lake effect – when cold, dry air passes across a lake such as in the Great Lakes region – and from northeast Ohio into central New York, according to the National Weather Service.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025
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Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
This is due to lake effect snow showers.
—Ron Smiley, CBS News, 25 Nov. 2025
Parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes region are expected to see lake effect snow this week.
—Simmone Shah, Time, 25 Nov. 2025
On Thanksgiving day and into the end of the week, expect snow in northern Michigan from the lake effect – when cold, dry air passes across a lake such as in the Great Lakes region – and from northeast Ohio into central New York, according to the National Weather Service.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lake effect
Cite this Entry
“Lake effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lake%20effect. Accessed 5 Dec. 2025.
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