A northeaster, or nor’easter, is a mesoscale to synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone affecting the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts of North America, characterized by strong, persistent northeasterly surface winds along the coastline. These systems typically form along baroclinic zones near the Gulf Stream and intensify through baroclinic instability and cyclogenesis, often undergoing rapid deepening. Northeasters transport moist maritime air over colder continental or coastal environments, producing intense precipitation (rain, snow, or mixed), coastal flooding, and high waves. Their structure is dominated by a well-defined low-pressure center, strong pressure gradients, and frontal boundaries, and they are significant drivers of cold-season coastal erosion and hydrometeorological hazards in the region.
The nor'easter smacking much of the Northeast with nearly 3 feet of snow in places is as classic and powerful a blizzard as you can get, the strongest in a decade and up there with the most intense in history, meteorologists ...
Environment
Feb 24, 2026
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In a paper in the Journal of Coastal and Riverine Flood Risk, a team from the University of Rhode Island discusses the novel application of Homeland Security exercises to evaluate emergency managers' use of their simulation ...
Environment
Feb 8, 2026
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Winter's brutal grip on the U.S. East is not letting up, with coming days bringing subfreezing temperatures that will plunge deep into what had been a toasty Florida peninsula and a powerful blizzard forecast that may strike ...
Environment
Jan 28, 2026
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Nor'easters are powerful and often destructive cyclonic storms that primarily impact the East Coast of North America. Some of these weather events have been so fierce that they earned the names "Perfect Storm," "Storm of ...
An unusual May nor'easter soaked New England on Thursday and threatened to bring snow to higher elevations as the states prepared for the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Environment
May 22, 2025
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