Nor'easter Storms

Facts from The Weather Channel
Winter storms known as nor'easters cause extensive coastal flooding, erosion, and property loss in the northeastern and middle Atlantic states.

Nor'easters are among winter's most ferocious storms. These strong areas of low pressure often form either in the Gulf of Mexico or off the East Coast in the Atlantic Ocean. The low will then either move up the East Coast into New England and the Atlantic provinces of Canada or out to sea.

In places like New York City and Boston, for instance, if the wintertime low tracks up to the west of these cities, wintry precipitation will often change to rain.

However, if the low moves slightly off the coast to the east of these cities, assuming there is enough moisture and cold air accompanying the storm, Boston and New York will typically get snow or a mixture of precipitation types.

A nor'easter gets its name from its continuously strong northeasterly winds blowing in from the ocean ahead of the storm and over the coastal areas.

These winter weather events are notorious for producing heavy snow, rain, and oversized waves that crash onto Atlantic beaches, often causing beach erosion and structural damage. Wind gusts associated with these storms can exceed hurricane force in intensity.

Detailed studies taken from satellite imagery and other readings suggest that some low pressure systems associated with nor'easters may develop tropical storm characteristics such as an eye in the center of the low.

However, the presence of fronts and drop in temperature at higher levels of the troposphere keep the storm from being classified as tropical.

Some notable nor'easters have wreaked havoc upon major metropolitan areas of the Northeast. The Halloween Storm of 1991 damaged or destroyed more than 1,000 homes from Maine to the Carolinas. The February 1979 Presidents Day Storm brought the nation's capital to a standstill.

The Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 battered the northeast coastline with rain, snow, sleet, coastal flooding, and wind for five days.