Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario, bounded on the north by Ontario and on the south by Ontario's Niagara Peninsula and by New York State, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America.

Effects of the climate on the lake

The lake has a natural seiche rhythm of eleven minutes. The seiche effect normally is only about 2 centimeters, but can be greatly amplified by earth movement, winds, and atmospheric pressure changes.

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Because of its great depth, the lake rarely freezes in winter. The winters of 1934 and 1976 were the only times the lake had ice cover within historic time.

Related Topics:
1934 - 1976

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When the cold winds of winter pass over the warmer water of the lake, they pick up moisture and drop it as lake effect snow. Since the prevailing winter winds are from the northwest, the southern and southeastern shoreline of the lake is referred to as the snowbelt. In some winters the area between Oswego and Pulaski may receive twenty or more feet of snowfall. Lake effect snow sometimes reaches as far as Syracuse.

Related Topics:
''lake effect'' - Snowbelt - Oswego - Pulaski - Syracuse

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