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
Recent Examples on the Web
Another round of lake effect snow that will be potentially very heavy near Lake Michigan prompted winter weather watches and advisories in Chicago and Northwest Indiana.
—
Laura Bannon, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Doom said this marks the third lake effect event in the Chicago/Northwest Indiana area.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent snowfall is due to an arctic air mass creating lake effect snow from Lake Superior.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Part of it is the legendary lake effect, which has been known to dump feet of snow throughout the forests and towns of Erie County and Western New York in just a few hours.
—Brian Higgins, Outside, 28 Jan. 2026
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Laura Bannon, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
Doom said this marks the third lake effect event in the Chicago/Northwest Indiana area.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent snowfall is due to an arctic air mass creating lake effect snow from Lake Superior.
—La Risa R. Lynch, jsonline.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Part of it is the legendary lake effect, which has been known to dump feet of snow throughout the forests and towns of Erie County and Western New York in just a few hours.
—Brian Higgins, Outside, 28 Jan. 2026
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 6 Feb. 2026.
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