File:GOES East Sees Fourth Nor’easter this Month.webm

English: NOAA’s GOES East (GOES-16) captured the fourth nor’easter to hit the U.S. East Coast in a month on March 22, 2018. The Northeast has been hit with a series of nor’easters this month, bringing wind, heavy snowfall, rain and flooding to the region. The U.S. East Coast provides an ideal breeding ground for nor’easters. During winter, the polar jet stream transports cold Arctic air southward across the plains of Canada and the United States, then eastward toward the Atlantic Ocean where warm air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic tries to move northward. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream help keep the coastal waters relatively mild during the winter, which in turn helps warm the cold winter air over the water. This difference in temperature between the warm air over the water and cold Arctic air over the land is the fuel that feeds nor’easters. Credit: CIRA