Trump touts Weather Service shift from 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America'

President Donald Trump promoted a report saying the National Weather Service had begun changing "Lake Ontario" to "Lake America," and NOAA records show the agency started a phased rollout this week, not a completed, universal switch. National Weather Service begins changing 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America' on maps, weather forecasts National Weather Service begins shift to ‘Lake America’ as New York resistance grows | Fingerlakes1.com pns26 69 name changes Lake America His Truth Social post linked to a Just the News story headlined "National Weather Service begins changing 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America' on maps, weather forecasts." Donald J. Trump: "National Weather Service begins changing 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America' on... - Trump’s Truth Trump’s Truth Lake Ontario now called Lake America on Google Maps for U.S. users after Trump ordered name change

The agency started the phased rollout Monday, Sept. 14, affecting marine and open-water forecasts, radar displays, the Buffalo office's forecast data feeds and NOAA's Tides and Currents station maps. National Weather Service begins changing 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America' on maps, weather forecasts National Weather Service begins using 'Lake America' NOAA also renamed its Lake Ontario Operational Forecast System the Lake America Operational Forecast System. Lake America Operational Forecast System (LOOFS)

A public notice to weather service partners, issued Sept. 14, said work was "underway to update naming conventions as quickly as possible on online maps, weather products, websites and other materials across the NWS." pns26 69 name changes Lake America The agency gave no single date for when the new name would appear consistently across NWS products, saying users should expect phased implementation. National Weather Service begins shift to ‘Lake America’ as New York resistance grows | Fingerlakes1.com No line-item cost estimates or dedicated contracts for the renaming have been made public. pns26 69 name changes Lake America

An early forecast to use the new name came from the weather service's Buffalo office. National Weather Service to refer to 'Lake Ontario' as 'Lake America' National Weather Service By Tuesday morning, "Lake America" appeared on the national radar display at radar.weather.gov. National Weather Service begins using 'Lake America'

Executive Order 14422, signed Aug. 27, directs the federal government to call the lake "Lake America" for all federal purposes. Trump Directives Highlight Two Paths for Federal Place Names | Legis1 Presidential Executive Orders & Updates | GovWhitePapers It gives the interior secretary 30 days to work with the Board on Geographic Names to make the change. EO 14422: Honoring the American History of the Great Lakes and Renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America in plain language The order came after trade talks with Canada collapsed. National Weather Service begins changing 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America' on maps, weather forecasts The federal names database entry was updated the same day. Honoring the American History of the Great Lakes and Renaming Lake Ontario as Lake America [r004]

Trump has pointed to map-company changes as evidence the name is settled. Google Maps switched for U.S. users in late August, saying it follows the federal names database; Apple Maps followed; AccuWeather said it would use the new name too. Lake Ontario now called Lake America on Google Maps for U.S. users after Trump ordered name change Apple changes Lake Ontario name to 'Lake America' for US users of its Maps, following Trump's order National Weather Service Goes Along With "Lake America" An Expensive Way To Confuse The Public After Apple's change, Trump posted that the renaming was "complete, ratified, and binding." The pattern mirrors Trump's earlier Gulf of America push: a federal naming change, adoption by major map platforms and posts treating the new name as final.

Trump has also publicly floated personal or patriotic names for other bodies of water. He said in April he considered "Gulf of Trump" but "decided not to do it." On Sept. 2, he floated renaming the Strait of Hormuz "TRUMP STRAIT???"

After sharing the report, Trump also posted several unrelated graphics: an image of himself walking through a secured corridor under the words "The Hoax Buster"; a White House photo with an oversized presidential seal and the words "Only Trump"; and a gold-colored replica of the Iwo Jima memorial behind construction fencing. Donald J. Trump image post from September 16, 2026 - Trump’s Truth Donald J. Trump: "National Weather Service begins changing 'Lake Ontario' to 'Lake America' on... - Trump’s Truth Trump’s Truth The "Hoax Buster" label contrasts with Trump's long-standing framing of himself as a hoax victim.

Trump has acknowledged the lake is shared. In an Aug. 26 video, he said it sits "in Canada, and in the United States." Great Lakes researchers say the renaming complicates cross-border management of the lake. Trump’s ‘Lake America’ Name Change Disrupts Cross-Border Management and Overwrites Native History Canada does not recognize the new name, and Google still shows "Lake Ontario" to Canadian users. 'Then, now and always': Carney says it will always be Lake Ontario after Trump order Lake Ontario now called Lake America on Google Maps for U.S. users after Trump ordered name change Prime Minister Mark Carney said it is "Lake Ontario — then, now and always," noting the name is more than 400 years old. 'Then, now and always': Carney says it will always be Lake Ontario after Trump order