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Your definition of a Nor'easter


Chinook

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Today I was looking at the offshore low that was causing rain at Nantucket. I was thinking, "this is a weak Nor'easter." Then I saw the winds were from the south in New England and New York City, with no precipitation associated with the offshore low there.  With south winds, this doesn't count as a Nor'easter in my book, unless winds were to change to the NE or E at the New England shoreline.

 

What is your definition of a Nor'easter?

 

Lake Cutter?

 

Alberta Clipper?

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Today I was looking at the offshore low that was causing rain at Nantucket. I was thinking, "this is a weak Nor'easter." Then I saw the winds were from the south in New England and New York City, with no precipitation associated with the offshore low there.  With south winds, this doesn't count as a Nor'easter in my book, unless winds were to change to the NE or E at the New England shoreline.

 

What is your definition of a Nor'easter?

 

Lake Cutter? No

 

Alberta Clipper? No

 

I consider this track to be a Nor'easter.

 

WpDFWOf.jpg

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That's basically a Miller A track for a Nor'easter, there's other paths that they can take.

 

Yes but the end result is the same. With a Miller B it doesn't become a Nor' Easter until it follows the track of a Miller A.

 

Good thread:

 

http://www.americanwx.com/bb/index.php/topic/1415-miller-a-vs-miller-b/

 

Miller_A.jpg

 

Miller_B.jpg

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Interesting questions!

 

Personally, I had always classified any storm that came up the coast as a "Nor'easter" and never really used wind directions in my definition.  I know that several definitions use wind direction and I believe the term was developed for storms that came up the coast in which winds would eventually switch and come out from the NE.  Anyways I'm not really sure how often I really use the term...typically I think I just use coastal storm instead of Nor'easter.  

 

Lakes cutter...anything that moves from the Mississippi/Tennessee Valley regions and move directly north or slightly northeast and ride up through the OV region or far western NY/PA.  

 

Alberta clipper...just a quick moving low pressure system in which along it's journey moves through south-central Canada, through the northern Plains, then south through the OV region and slides off the mid-Atlantic coast.  

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Here's a good writeup: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nor%27easter

 

Nor'easter generally refers to a storm off the New England or Mid Atlantic coasts with strong northeast winds. Per that definition, the low passing by to our southeast today doesn't qualify.

 

Also, a storm with strong southeast winds is called a southeaster. And don't get me started on those who call a storm with strong northwest to west winds (without ever having had northeast winds) a nor'easter :axe:

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Yes but the end result is the same. With a Miller B it doesn't become a Nor' Easter until it follows the track of a Miller A.

 

Good thread:

 

http://www.americanwx.com/bb/index.php/topic/1415-miller-a-vs-miller-b/

 

Miller_A.jpg

 

Miller_B.jpg

 

Way back when while a PSU student, I took a graduate level seminar on East Coast winter storms taught by Dr. Greg Forbes where we also talked about a Miller C type storm...almost a subtropical entity. Can't think of many storms that would fit the bill...maybe the January 1992 "Redskin" storm and the 1994 Christmas Eve storm?

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Way back when while a PSU student, I took a graduate level seminar on East Coast winter storms taught by Dr. Greg Forbes where we also talked about a Miller C type storm...almost a subtropical entity. Can't think of many storms that would fit the bill...maybe the January 1992 "Redskin" storm and the 1994 Christmas Eve storm?

still say 94 was a TS
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