SCARBOROUGH, Maine (AP) — An unusual May nor’easter is set to wallop New England on Thursday, providing a soaking before the Memorial Day holiday weekend with weather more commonly associated with fall and winter.
Nor’easters usually arrive in the end of fall and winter and bring high winds, rough seas and precipitation in the form of rain or snow. This week’s nor’easter could bring wind gusts over 40 mph (64 kph) and up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain in some areas. Snow is even possible at high elevations.
The storm has New Englanders preparing for a messy couple of days during a time of year usually reserved for sunshine and cookouts.
What is a nor’easter?
A nor’easter is an East Coast storm that is so named because winds over the coastal area are typically from the northeast, according to the National Weather Service. The storms can happen at any time of the year, but they are at their most frequent and strongest between September and April, according to the service.
The storms have caused billions of dollars in damage in the past. They usually reach the height of their strength in New England and eastern Canada. The storms often disrupt traffic and power grids and can cause severe damage to homes and businesses.
“We have a stronger jet stream, which is helping intensify a low pressure system that just happens to be coming up the coast. And so that’s how it got the nor’easter name,” said Kyle Pederson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Boston.
Who will see rain and snow
The heaviest rain is likely to fall in Rhode Island and southern and eastern Massachusetts, Pederson said. Localized nuisance flooding and difficult driving conditions are possible Thursday, and catastrophic flooding is not expected.
The storm is then expected to pass, leaving light rain and patchy drizzle, on Friday.
“It’s just really a nice dose of rain for the region — not expecting much for flooding,” Pederson said.
Snow is…