| Part of a series on |
| Weather |
|---|
 Weather portal |
A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low-pressure area that forms within 100 miles (160 km) of the shore between North Carolina and Massachusetts. The precipitation pattern is similar to that of other extratropical storms, although nor'easters are usually accompanied by heavy rain or snow, and can cause severe coastal flooding, coastal erosion, hurricane-force winds, or blizzard conditions. They tend to develop most often and most powerfully between the months of November and March, because of the difference in temperature between the cold polar air mass coming down from central Canada and the warm ocean waters off the upper East Coast.[1][2][3] The susceptible regions—the upper north Atlantic coast of the United States and the Atlantic Provinces of Canada—are generally impacted by nor'easters a few times each winter.[4][5][6]
- ^ Multi-Community Environmental Storm Observatory (2006). "Nor'easters". Multi-community Environmental Storm Observatory. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007.
- ^ "Know the dangers of nor'easters". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016.
- ^ How stuff works (2006). "What are nor'easters?". Retrieved January 22, 2008.
- ^ "National Weather Service". National Weather Service. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^ "AccuWeather.com".
- ^ L. Dove, Laurie (December 15, 2012). "What's a nor'easter?".