| |
Hurricane |
Nor'easter |
| Temperature |
"Warm-core" |
Usually cold air in it's core |
| Size |
200-300 miles across |
Can reach 1000 miles across |
| Shape |
Symmetrical with often
clearly defined center |
Irregular Shape. Sometimes
hard to find center |
| Duration |
Hurricanes pass a location
usually in 6-8 hrs. |
Can last a week |
| Frequency |
Less frequent north of the
Carolinas |
100% chance. 20 to 30 form
each year. Three will develop into a significant storm |
| Intensity |
74 knots and higher |
35-50 knots onshore. Higher
over the ocean |
| Season |
June to November |
October through April |
| Tracking |
Easily spotted by satellites
and path can be calculated with reasonable accuracy |
Can spring up out of various
conditions. Once formed usually take a northeast course |
| Damage |
Can virtually level an area,
but limited in size. |
Spreads damage around a
greater area. Three times as many people died in the
March 1993
nor'easter than in Hugo and Andrew combined |
| Geography |
Typically more to the south |
Typically more to the north. |
| Seas |
Wind Speed, duration, and
fetch (distance of wind traveled over water) determine wave severity |
Nor'easter are generally
larger systems giving wind more time and distance to create large waves. |
| Names |
Only hurricanes are
officially names. Female and male gender since the early nineties |
People generally tie the
occurrence of a hurricane to some date like "The
Halloween Storm" Or the National Weather Service uses superlatives
like :The Superstorm of March 1993" |
| Press Coverage |
Extensive coverage in the
media. From weather channels to TV and newspaper |
Everybody has heard about
Nor'easter, but have a hard time defining them |
