Lake-effect rain

[4][5][2] Another similar effect is sea-effect or ocean-effect rain, which is caused by three primary components: a cold air mass over land, warm ocean water, and enough wind from the right direction.

Furthermore, rain showers generally develop over a waterbody in autumn to early winter due to the higher water temperature compared to the air above.

[2] After a cold front arrives, the temperature at elevated areas decreases substantially, ensuing in significant atmospheric instability over the placid mild lakes.

That is why lake-effect days with thunder along Lake Erie occur most frequently from late September to mid-October (since the sheet of unstable air is deeper).

The relatively warmer, lighter air arriving from the ocean is forced up, leading over the cold pool, where it cools down and condenses, forming clouds and precipitation (from rain showers to snowfall) on the coastline.