Classic Nor’easter

A Water Vapor Image of a Nor'easter (NOAA)

February 12th, 1988 – A classic “nor’easter” formed off the Carolina coast and intensified as it moved up the Atlantic coast bringing heavy snow to the northeastern U.S. Totals ranged up to 26 inches at Camden NY and Chester MA. Arctic cold gripped the north central U.S. Duluth MN was the cold spot in the nation with a low of 32 degrees below zero. (The National Weather Summary)

A nor’easter (also northeaster) is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United Stated and Atlantic Canada, so named because the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United Stated and Atlantic Canada. More specifically, it describes a low pressure area whose center of rotation is just off the East 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. Nor’easters also can cause coastal flooding, coastal erosion, hurricane force winds, and heavy snow. Nor’easters can occur at any time of the year but are mostly known for their presence in the winter season. Nor’easters can be devastating and damaging, especially in the winter months, when most damage and deaths are cold related, as nor’easters are known for bringing extremely cold air down from the Arctic air mass. Nor’easters thrive on the converging air masses; that is, the polar cold air mass and the warmer ocean water of the Gulf Stream. (Wikipedia)