Strong Nor'easters Expected To Hit Connecticut As Fall, Winter Arrive

Written by Tom Davis; originally posted on Sept. 24

Winter could hit Connecticut hard this year. Instead of hurricanes and snowstorms, however, nor’easters could dominate the forecast.

The Northeast Regional Climate Center issued a forecast calling for a higher-than-normal number of strong nor’easters this fall and winter.

The Cornell University-based center issued its preliminary East Coast winter storm forecast for the 2015-16 season, predicting more than 10 strong storms will arrive during the fall and winter seasons.

Compared to hurricanes, nor’easters tend to last longer, and slowly churn along the coastal areas, usually dropping several inches of precipitation and bringing strong, damaging winds.

The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center stated that temperature and precipitation impacts associated with El Niño are expected to remain minimal during the early autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, but increase into the late fall and winter.

“It is indicating the chance of higher than normal temperatures and wetter than normal temperatures,” said Mitchell Gaines, an NWS meteorologist in Mount Holly, N.J. “We are going to have a strong El Niño which does indicate a stronger storm track.”

Fewer East Coast storms overall, or less than 25, are expected for the region, however. By comparison, there were nine strong storms in 2014.

The Past 5 Years of Winter Storms on the East Coast

• 2014: Nine storms
• 2013: 11 storms
• 2012: 11 storms
• 2011: 5 storms
• 2010: 10 storms

Photo of 2010 nor’easter in Connecticut by Terretta, via flickr creative commons