Nor easters usually do most of their damage at the coast, in the form of beach erosion and flooding. The northeast winds come from a low-pressure system offshore. These lows can originate anywhere from the Rocky Mountains to the Bahamas. Most of the strongest nor easters originate in the Bahamas or over the Florida Peninsula. The most destructive nor easters occur when a high-pressure system over northeastern New England or in the northern Atlantic blocks the northward movement of the low.
Winds blow clockwise around a high.
Winds circulate counterclockwise around a low, so east winds or northeast winds batter the coast as the storm is southeast or east of the East Coast. When the low stops moving, its winds combine with those of the high to blow in one direction over a long period of time, which creates huge waves. The duration of a nor easter the number of high tides through which it persists can be the most significant measure of its destructiveness. E-mail us with general site comments or suggestions. Newsticker for your site Earth .