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Weekly Weather Event -Week of October 7th

October 11, 2019

While much of the Midwest and the Central Plains are battling a cold front, the East Coast is facing an impressive storm of their own. Wednesday marked the beginning of fall’s first nor’easter, bringing high winds, rain, and flooding to large swaths of coastal southeastern New England. This morning, the National Weather Service upgraded the nor’easter to Subtropical Storm Melissa, marking the first sub-tropical storm of the season.

Nor’easters are storms that are named after the typically northeasterly winds that blow across the region. While they can form year-round, they are most prevalent and most violent between September and April. Because of this, nor’easters are most commonly associated with winter weather, often being responsible for historic heavy snowfalls and blizzards.

These storms typically begin off the coast between Georgia and New Jersey where the polar jet stream transports cold, dry Arctic air over the comparatively warmer Gulf Stream current in the ocean. Fueled by the difference in temperature between the cold air and warmer coastal waters, nor’easters tend to bring heavy precipitation in the form of rain and snow, strong winds, rough seas, and occasionally coastal flooding.