00:00Powerful nor'easter is going to be a huge headline Sunday into Monday along the East Coast.
00:04So what is a nor'easter?
00:07Kind of a funny word.
00:08It's sort of an abbreviated northeaster.
00:11We're looking at a reference to the strong winds.
00:13A powerful storm with winds that will be, in some spots, 60-plus miles per hour near Cape Cod.
00:19Significant snow.
00:20Sometimes these involve a lot of rain as well.
00:22This is going to be more of a snowstorm.
00:23And the name nor'easter is derived from the strong northeast winds from the northeast coming in for the coastal
00:31areas.
00:32New Jersey, Cape Cod, notorious spots to face those nasty winds.
00:36And they typically occur in winter.
00:38They can occur September, October, and even as late as March and April.
00:42So what makes a nor'easter?
00:43We've got cold air across the interior.
00:45The warmth of the Gulf Stream is a big driver.
00:49This temperature contrast, cold air upstairs spilling out over the Atlantic, warm water here.
00:55Sometimes they dig down, the storm track is as amplified as this this weekend, not quite as deep as that.
01:02But overall, the main mechanisms that drive nor'easters involve cold air aloft, cold air over land, and that very
01:11warm water of the Gulf Stream.
01:13By the way, here's a look at our current water temperatures.
01:15Water is very cold just along the shoreline, 39 degrees off of the Jersey Shore.
01:20But if you head far enough out there, 50s and 60s, the Gulf Stream driving 60-plus degree water temperatures
01:27northward.
01:28And here's this benchmark.
01:3040 degrees north latitude, 70 degrees west longitude.
01:33If a storm passes near or west of there, it tends to bring big impacts to the interior.
01:38So here's the benchmark.
01:39And again, that's kind of the sweet spot for Philadelphia, New York City, Boston.
01:44The center of the storm will be close to that area, most models just a smidge farther east.
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