lake effect

noun

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition 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

Recent Examples of lake effect from the Web

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
As the low pushes away Friday, westerly winds will kick up lake effect, and make light, lingering snow possible.

— staff, cleveland.com, "Comment here on cleveland.com court and crime stories for Wednesday, March 7, 2018," 7 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, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "7 natural wonders in Wisconsin," 15 Feb. 2018
After an epic, multiday lake effect snowstorm in December, the city now has more than 143 inches for the season — about 220 percent of its average for mid-February.

— angela fritz, Washington Post, "D.C. is No. 2 on the list of ‘snow losers’ this winter," 8 Feb. 2018
Parts of New York state had intense lake effect snowfall.

— CBS News, "Cold weather claims lives as deep freeze grips U.S.," 2 Jan. 2018
The cold weather this week is looking to continue into the forecast for New Year's Eve, and lake effect snow is on the way Saturday.

— emily bamforth, cleveland.com, "What's open, closed on New Year's Day 2018?," 29 Dec. 2017
The lake effect snow is expected to continue through Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

— eric levenson, CNN, "Even for a place that gets a ton of snow, this was a record-breaking two days for Erie," 26 Dec. 2017

These 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.