Hurricane Earl, while not a Nor’easter, is acting like one. In the northern hemisphere storms move counter-clockwise. Thus, the most dangerous area of a big ocean storm is the northeast quandrant. That’s because the wind and waves are moving in the same direction. So, when a Nor’easter slams into the south-facing beaches of Long Island, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Cape Cod, serious damage can easily occur.
But Earl is more powerful and better-organized than a Nor’easter (which are dreaded storms in and of themselves) and New England may well take a nearly direct hit. Yikes.