High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A nor`easter (also northeaster; see below) is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada. The storm has characteristics very similar to a hurricane. More specifically it describes a low-pressure area whose center of rotation is just off the East Coast and whose leading winds in the left forward quadrant rotate onto land from the northeast. The precipitation pattern is similar to that of other extratropical storms. Nor`easters also can cause coastal severe flooding, coastal erosion, hurricane force winds,Blizzard Conditions,these conditions are usually accompanied with heavy snow or rain depending on when the storm occurs. Nor`easters can occur at any time of the year but are known mostly for their presence in the winter season. Nor`easters can be devastating and damaging, especially in the winter months, when most damage and deaths are cold-related, as nor`easters are known for bringing extremely cold air down from the Arctic air mass. Nor`easters thrive on the converging air masses; that is, the polar cold air mass and the warmer ocean water of the Gulf Stream.