What Makes It Lake Effect? May 4, 2022 “What makes lake-effect snow distinctive is not so much its depth as its frequency. Although the Great Lakes snowbelts occasionally receive a foot or more of snow in a single event, the most distinctive feature is a pattern of repeated snowfalls, often just one or two inches a day, but enough to require shoveling walkways and plowing streets and driveways.” — Mark S. Monmonier Lake Effect: Tales of Large Lakes, Arctic Winds, and Recurrent Snows The Lake Effect