[clarification needed] The urban heat island effect also plays a role in the city's climate, insulating it from winter cold, but keeping it cooler in spring and summer.
Milwaukee has a continental climate with wide variations in temperatures over short periods, especially in spring and autumn.
During the transition into and out of winter, various mixed forms of precipitation can occur, such as sleet, ice, and freezing rain.
As Milwaukee lies on the western shore of Lake Michigan, east winds, although not the prevailing wind direction in the Midwest, occur when panhandle hook systems move northeast bringing heavier snowfall on the Milwaukee side of the lake.
The driest month is February, when only 1.65 inches (41.9 mm) of precipitation falls, almost entirely as light, low moisture content snow resulting from the Alberta clipper type system when cold, dry air masses dominate.