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- Nor'easters are among winter's most ferocious storms. These strong
- areas of low pressure often form either in the Gulf of Mexico or in the
- Atlantic Ocean, then either move up the East Coast into New England
- and the Atlantic provinces of Canada or out to sea.
-
- A nor'easter gets its name from its continuously strong northeasterly
- winds blowing in from the ocean ahead of the storm. 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.
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