Ashburn, VA

80° F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

80°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Video

Podcasts

Winter Center

News & Features AccuWeather Prime Astronomy Business Climate Health Recreation Sports Travel
Air Quality Alert

News / Weather News

What is a Nor'easter?

By Jillian MacMath, AccuWeather staff writer

Published Feb. 11, 2013 11:42 AM EDT | Updated Apr. 26, 2013 10:02 AM EDT

Copied

A nor'easter is a storm that mainly affects the northeastern part of the United States. These storms form along the East coast as warm air from over the Atlantic Ocean clashes with arctic cold to the north and west.

A nor'easter gets its name from the northeasterly winds that blow in from the ocean ahead of the storm. Nor'easters can occur at any time throughout the year, but they are most common between the months of September through April, according to AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Carl Erickson.

Typically, around three nor'easters impact the U.S. a year, according to AccuWeather.com Meteorologist Brian Edwards. Heavy snow and hurricane-force winds can occur on the northwest side of the nor'easter.

Edwards said the main difference between a hurricane and nor'easter is the size of the wind field. According to NOAA, a wind field is the three-dimensional spatial pattern of winds.

"Hurricanes have a narrow field of strong winds with a concentration around the center, whereas a nor'easter's winds are spread out," Edwards said.

For example, a hurricane may only have a 30-mile radius of a strong wind field around the center, while a nor'easter may have a 100-mile radius of a strong wind field from the center.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Hurricane

Budding tropical storm to slam Central America

Jun. 30, 2022
Climate

Supreme Court rules to curb EPA authority on greenhouse gas emissions

Jun. 30, 2022
Hurricane

Tropical rainstorm to drench eastern Texas

Jun. 30, 2022
Severe Weather

About 50 million at risk for severe weather in Northeast

Jun. 30, 2022
Weather News

Rare 'white rainbow' caught on camera gracing skies over city skyline

Jun. 30, 2022
Weather Forecasts

Desperate amid drought, Italian Archbishop prays for 'gift of rain'

Jun. 30, 2022
Weather Forecasts

Storms to rumble over Western US into Independence Day

Jun. 30, 2022
Weather News

Miner unearths 'most important discovery' in North America

Jun. 28, 2022
Travel

Bison gores visitor at Yellowstone for second time in a month

Jun. 29, 2022
Weather Forecasts

Record-high temperatures set to scorch Alaska to start July

Jun. 30, 2022
Recreation

Why a zero-gravity chair is what you should add to your yard this year

Jun. 17, 2022
Recreation

How to keep your pup cool in the tough summer heat

Jun. 20, 2022
Show More Show Less Chevron down

Topics

News & Features

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Top Stories

Severe Weather

It's been 10 years since a destructive derecho tore through DC

8 hours ago

Climate

Drought and triple-digit temperatures result in disaster for farmers

23 hours ago

Weather News

‘Truly biblical’ swarms of cannibalistic insects ravage crops out West

2 days ago

Damaging floodwaters sweep through Turkey

3 days ago 0:47

Podcast: Lightning safety awareness

More Stories

Featured Topic

Local Arthritis Forecast

Featured Stories

5 ways people stayed cool before air conditioning was invented Top picks on homeware and outdoor furniture from Wayfair's July 4th sa... Trusty weed trimmers to tackle your overgrown garden & lawn this summe...
AccuWeather Weather News What is a Nor'easter?
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
© 2021 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | TAG Disclosure | Do Not Sell My Data checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

FEEDBACK