Last week, news outlets talked about a Nor’easter affecting the New England region. What is a Nor’easter? It is the name given to a cyclonic storm off the eastern coast of the United States. Like a hurricane, winds move counter-clockwise around an area of low pressure. This brings on-shore winds from the north east – hence, its names. October to March tends to be the season for the strongest nor’easters, although they can occur at any time. Along with strong winds, these storms frequently bring flooding rain. Although the winds generally aren’t at hurricane strength, the area affected is usually quite large – as might be seen with a hurricane. Another frequent feature of these storms is slow movement. A blocking high may keep the system in place for a week or longer!
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu