Describe how a large water body can affect the amount of snowfall a region receives in the winter?

Large bodies of water can dramatically increase the amount of snow in some regions. This phenomenon is commonly known as "lake-effect snow." As fall turns to winter and temperatures fall, water retains more heat than air and, thus, stays warmer longer. When freezing air passes over the warmer body of water, some of the water evaporates into the air. This warmer air then rises (remember, heat rises) and cools as it starts to move away from the body of water. Then, if it's cold enough, this moisture falls over land as snow. The body of water is in effect the source of the increased snowfall. Typically, regions within about 25 miles of a large body of water, such as that of near the Great Lakes, receive increased snowfall as a result of lake-effect snow. Once it becomes cold enough for the water to freeze, however, the water can no longer evaporate and no longer causes increased snowfall.