nor'easter

American  

[nawr-ee-ster] / ˌnɔrˈi stər /

noun

Meteorology.

1. an eastern North American storm that usually develops between the Georgia and New Jersey latitudes, progressing northeastward and typified by potentially violent northeast winds: most frequent and intense from September through April, nor’easters can develop within a hundred miles of the east coast and commonly bring heavy rain or snow and coastal damage.

   The nor’easter of 1992 breached the island and destroyed many homes.

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Etymology

Origin of nor'easter

First recorded in 1830–40; by shortening of northeaster

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nor'easter

The season premiere opened Saturday with Ramy Youssef reprising his role as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, delivering an update on the nor’easter battering the East Coast before James Austin Johnson’s Trump arrived unexpectedly.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

Mayor Zohran Mamdani was forced by this nor’easter to make an even more concerted push this week, expanding their ranks and even bumping up their pay, as of Monday, from $19 an hour to $30.

From Slate ● Feb. 24, 2026

Despite a snowy nor’easter that rocked the Tri-State area, Dimon and his lieutenants pushed ahead on plans to gather with investors at the bank’s new headquarters at 270 Park Ave.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026

A nor’easter generally refers to a big storm, often in winter, that moves up the East Coast, Bassill said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

I lost a large branch that was weakened by wet snow during a nor’easter.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate