October 22, 2014 - The Never-ending Nor'easter

Randi MannDigital Reporter

The Maritimes were hit with a four-day nor'easter - which is just a fancy contraction for a massive extratropical cyclone that originates in the western North Atlantic Ocean.

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On October 22, 2014, a four-day nor'easter came to life across the Maritimes. A nor'easter is an extratropical cyclone, but with its defining feature, winds coming from the northeast.

Nor'easters generally come around during the winter, and the Maritimes are no strangers to the storms. But they rarely last four days.

Nor'easters are like hurricanes but they aren't tropical storms. They get their energy from the convergence of the colder Canadian air and warmer mid/south Atlantic waters.

Unlike tropical cyclones, which are warm-core low-pressure systems, nor'easters are cold-core low-pressure systems.

Nor'easters are extra spicy, because not only can they produce torrential rain and howling winds, but they can also bring heavy snow and blizzard-like conditions.

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During this four-day storm, the Maritimes received between 100 and 160 mm of rain. The winds also reached speeds of 189 km/h.

To learn more about this storm, which is literally cold to its core, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History".

"This Day In Weather History” is a daily podcast by The Weather Network that features unique and informative stories from host Chris Mei.

Thumbnail courtesy of Wikipedia