Nor'easters: Mid-Winter's Wrath
Tuesday February 13th, the eve of Valentine’s, has now overshadowed Valentine’s Day itself -- at least for those like me who love the weather -- and of course for those affected by inclement weather.
Technically, right now (as of 7:02pm EST), the massive winter storm that we are looking at is just that – a massive winter storm. We’ll hold off on calling it a dreaded Nor’Easter until it follows the archetype (perhaps by Wednesday, in fact). So, let’s take a look for a moment, shall we, at what this meteorological term entails.
A Nor'easter is a macro-scale storm whose winds come from the Northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada. More specifically, it describes a low pressure area whose center of rotation is just off the coast and whose leading winds in the left forward quadrant rotate onto land from the Northeast. The precipitation pattern is similar to other extratropical storms. They also can cause coastal flooding, coastal erosion and gale force winds.
The Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada, particularly the New England coast and Nova Scotia (the Atlantic Northeast), are usually hit with several Nor'easters each year, most often in the winter and early spring, but also sometimes during the autumn. These storms can deliver inches of rain or several feet of snow on the region, and sometimes last for several days.
The Atlantic coast, from northern Georgia northward up the coast, can suffer high winds, pounding surf and extreme rains during these storms. Nor'easters cause a significant amount of severe beach erosion in these areas, as well as flooding in the associated low-lying areas.
Infamous Nor'easters
- The North American blizzard of 2005
The North American blizzard of 2006
The Blizzard of 1888
The Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962
The Groundhog Day gale of 1976
The Northeastern United States Blizzard of 1978 (the "Blizzard of '78")
The Thanksgiving 1984 Nor'easter
The Halloween Nor'easter of 1991 (the "Perfect Storm," combined Nor'easter/hurricane)
The 1993 North American Storm Complex
The North American blizzard of 1996
The Atlantic Canada blizzard of February 2004 ("White Juan")
The Late November Nor'easter of 2006
Any stories about Nor’Easters? Shovelling out from under? Share your story in the comments area below. Any pics? Email us at pix@weatherplus.com and share your photos!
GA