lake effect
nounDefinition of lake effect
: 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
For those who live in snow belts there’s a second method to produce snow, the lake effect. — Geoff Fox, Slate Magazine, "Why Are We So Bad at Predicting How Much Snow We’ll Get?," 3 Jan. 2018 Likely a lake effect clouds and power plant snow, per Steve Horstmeyer, a meteorologist with Fox19. — Cheryl Vari, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati weather: What caused the surprise, school-closing snow in NKY?," 1 Feb. 2018 Our Great Lakes also gift us with that famous (infamous?) lake effect snow — regular white stuff in northern Wisconsin for skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and more snowy activities. — Chelsey Lewis, USA TODAY, "Seven natural wonders in Wisconsin," 16 Mar. 2018 Our Great Lakes also gift us with that famous (infamous?) lake effect snow — regular white stuff in northern Wisconsin for skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and more snowy activities. — Chelsey Lewis, USA TODAY, "Seven natural wonders in Wisconsin," 16 Mar. 2018 Our Great Lakes also gift us with that famous (infamous?) lake effect snow — regular white stuff in northern Wisconsin for skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and more snowy activities. — Chelsey Lewis, USA TODAY, "Seven natural wonders in Wisconsin," 16 Mar. 2018 Because of its location next to the Sea of Japan, winds from the west create lake effect-like storms, picking up moisture from the sea and dumping it onto Tateyama in the form of snow. — Angela Fritz, Washington Post, "This towering ‘snow canyon’ is carved into one of the snowiest places on Earth," 18 Apr. 2018 Our Great Lakes also gift us with that famous (infamous?) lake effect snow — regular white stuff in northern Wisconsin for skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and more snowy activities. — Chelsey Lewis, USA TODAY, "Seven natural wonders in Wisconsin," 16 Mar. 2018 Our Great Lakes also gift us with that famous (infamous?) lake effect snow — regular white stuff in northern Wisconsin for skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling and more snowy activities. — Chelsey Lewis, USA TODAY, "Seven natural wonders in Wisconsin," 16 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lake effect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on lake effect
What made you want to look up lake effect? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz
-
- Boreal comes from the name of the ancient Greek god of which wind?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Words from Greek and Roman Mythology Quiz
A mythological/etymological mashup!
Take the quiz -
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quiz -
True or False?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
Take the quiz -
Syn City
Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.
Play the game
Share lake effect
Resources for lake effect