A wind, similar in origin to the sea breeze but generally weaker, blowing from the surface of a large lake onto the shores during the afternoon; it is caused by the difference in surface temperature o
f land and water as in the land and sea breeze system. In addition to area, the depth of the lake is an important factor; a shallow lake warms up rapidly and is less effective as the source of a lake breeze in summer than is a deep lake. Lake breezes are well developed around the Great Lakes of North America, where they temper the summer heat.
Generally, the effect of any lake in modifying the weather about its shore and for some distance downwind. This term is applied specifically to the region about the Great Lakes or the Great Salt Lake.
More specifically, lake effect often refers to the generation of sometimes spectacular snowfall amounts to the lee of the Great Lakes as cold air passes over the lake surface, extracting heat and moisture, resulting in cloud formation and snowfall downwind of the lake shore.
Localized, convective snow bands that occur in the lee of lakes when relatively cold airflows over warm water. In the US this phenomenon is most noted along the south and east shores of the Great Lake
s during arctic cold-air outbreaks. Snowstorm occurring near or downwind from the shore of a lake resulting from the warming (destabilization) and moistening of relatively cold air during passage over a warm body of water.
Localized, convective snow bands that occur in the lee of lakes when relatively cold airflows over warm water. In the United States this phenomenon is most noted along the south and east shores of the
Great Lakes during arctic cold-air outbreaks.
Snowstorm occurring on the shore of a lake or downwind from a lake, arising as a result of the modification of the air during its passage over the water.
Snowstorm occurring near or downwind from the shore of a lake resulting from the warming (destabilization) and moistening of relatively cold air during passage over a warm body of water.
A fall or winter storm that produces heavy but localized precipitation as a result of temperature differences between the air over snow-covered ground and the air over the open waters of a lake.