By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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A storm currently moving across Canada will bring lake-effect rain and other hazards to at least a dozen U.S. states on Wednesday, a National Weather Service (NWS) forecast said.
The unsettled weather will persist through Friday.
Why It Matters
While the "lake effect" is more common with snow across the Great Lakes region through the fall and winter months, it can cause rain when temperatures are warm enough.
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Meteorologist Liz Jurkowski, who works at the NWS Buffalo office in New York, told Newsweek that lake-effect rain goes through the same process as lake-effect snow, with cold air passing over the warm lakes causing precipitation.
"It's basically the exact same thing as lake-effect snow, but it's warm enough it's going to be falling as rain," she said.
What to Know
NWS shared the forecast in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning.
"A storm moving across southeastern Canada will bring widespread rain and isolated thunderstorms to the northeast U.S. today," the post said. "Lake effect showers and thunderstorms are expected downwind of the Great Lakes through Friday."
A map included with the post showed that more than a dozen states are expecting impacts from the storm system. Rain is likely in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Connecticut, with mixed precipitation possible in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Meanwhile, showers and thunderstorms are expected in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island.
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The biggest concerns with lake-effect rain are flooding. However, in areas of drought such as Western New York, the rain will be beneficial.
Jurkowski told Newsweek that lake-effect rain is common for the Great Lakes region as the weather begins to cool off in the fall.
"We will start seeing snow once it's cold enough," she said.
The storm could produce more than 2 inches of rain across some areas.
What People Are Saying
NWS Buffalo, in a hazardous weather outlook: "Heavy lake effect rain through tonight northeast of Lake Erie and along the lakeshore. Heavy lake effect rain east of Lake Erie Thursday and Thursday night. Storm total rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches with higher amounts possible where the lake rains persist."
NWS Cleveland, in a hazardous weather outlook: "A band of heavy lake effect showers and thunderstorms may set up along the lakeshore overnight. Rainfall amounts of 1-3 inches are likely through Thursday with locally higher amounts possible. While widespread flooding is not expected, ponding of water on roads is possible where the heaviest rain occurs."
What Happens Next
Rain will begin to impact the Great Lakes region and the Northeast on Wednesday. In some areas, the storms could last into Friday. No storm warnings are currently in place, but people living in the impacted areas should follow the guidance of their local NWS office.
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