Lake-Enhanced Precipitation

A low-pressure system can become lake enhanced when it passes over a relatively warm, large, open body of water, which effectively adds moisture to the storm. This additional moisture increases the amount of precipitation that can fall from the low-pressure system.

Lake enhanced precipitation occurs on a smaller scale, when the effect of onshore flow from an open body of water injects additional moisture and lift into an already active region of precipitation, creating locally higher precipitation amounts on shore.

Lower visibility in snow and possibly blowing snow along with greater snowfall accumulations than might otherwise be expected if an open body of water did not exist. The greatest impact will be to communities downwind of the water source.