AccuWeather to Join NWS Using Lake America in Forecasts - Newsweek
Private forecasting company AccuWeather said it will follow the federal government’s adoption of “Lake America” as the new name for Lake Ontario. The move comes after the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed it had begun implementing the change across its forecasts and other services.
Asked whether it would use Lake America or continue referring to the body of water as Lake Ontario, AccuWeather meteorologist Nick Arman confirmed to Newsweek on Tuesday: “We at AccuWeather will be using Lake America per the standards recently set by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
“As we have always done, we are adhering to the standards set by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which recently updated its standards with regards to Lake America."
NWS issued a public information statement on Tuesday, confirming it "is in the process" of implementing the name change.
"Work is underway to update naming conventions as quickly as possible on online maps, weather products, websites and other materials across the NWS," the federal agency said.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in late August directing the secretary of the interior, in coordination with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, to take appropriate action within 30 days to rename the lake amid an escalating trade dispute with Canada.
In the order, Trump cited the lake’s importance to U.S. exploration, commerce and defense, as well as its role in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system. He also pointed to U.S. investment in the Great Lakes and the Coast Guard’s provision of ice-breaking vessels.
Apple Maps has changed its label for Lake Ontario to Lake America following the executive order. Google has also said its maps would show Lake America to users in the United States, while users in Canada would continue to see Lake Ontario and users elsewhere would see both names.
Mapping service MapQuest previously said it would not change the name of the body of water. It also launched a name generator that lets users rename the lake themselves.
“We’re not changing the name of Lake Ontario. Name it whatever you want at your leisure,” MapQuest wrote in a social media post, alongside an image marking the body of water, “Lake Are We Doing This Again?”
Lake America is not the first geographic or institutional name Trump has changed. In January 2025, he signed an executive order directing that the Gulf of Mexico be called the Gulf of America in federal usage. The same order restored Mount McKinley as the federal name for North America’s highest peak, replacing Denali.
Trump allies on the Kennedy Center’s board also added his name to the institution, prompting a legal challenge over whether the board could alter the name of a memorial established by Congress.
Trump has also floated other possible name changes, including the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Sam Wilson.
