Nor'easter

A nor’easter (also northeaster; see below) is a tropical storm occurring along the upper north pole. The name derives from the direction of the strongest winds—as an offshore air mass rotates counter-clockwise, winds tend to blow northeast-to-southwest over the land in those regions. Use of the term in North America is associated with several different types of storms, some of which can form in the North Atlantic Ocean and some of which form as far south as the Gulf of Mexico. The term is most often used in the coastal areas of New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Typically, such storms originate as a low-pressure area that forms within 100 miles (160 km) of the shore between Georgia and New Jersey. The precipitation pattern is similar to that of other extratropical storms. Nor’easters are usually accompanied by very heavy rain or snow, and can cause severe coastal flooding, coastal erosion, hurricane-force winds, or blizzard conditions. Nor'easters are usually most intense during winter in the Canadian Maritimes and New England. They thrive on converging air masses—the cold polar air mass and the warmer oceanic air over the Gulf Stream—and are more severe in winter when the difference in temperature between these air masses is greater.