I took a look at this coming week's weather, since we're going out toward Syracuse this week. The weathermen were confident enough to do some long-term forecasting, and are predicting a Nor'Easter for the weekend. Woo!

I love snowstorms. I'm not afraid to drive in them either, except when it's dark out. Nor'Easters are the North's equivalent of a hurricane, but it consists of heavy snow. Usually, our weather comes from the West. All those tornado storms, ice storms, and such that hit the MidWest invariably make it to New York and Massachusetts. Most of the time, the storms have emptied themselves of their rage and intensity by the time they reach us.

A Nor'Easter is different. A Nor'Easter comes from the East-- from the Atlantic. It swirls up in a hurricane-shaped circle as it picks up energy and moisture from the ocean and frigid air and moisture from Canada and the Great Lakes. They are very notable storms. I'll try to get some photos, if we really get dumped. A few years ago we had a big Nor'easter swipe by. It left my neighborhood with 28 inches in 24 hours on Christmas Day (it was a surprise storm-- it grew bigger than weathermen expected). My neighborhood wasn't even the hardest hit-- surrounding areas got 3 or 4 feet in one day.

Snow is fun. There is usually plenty of warning, and people here are alert to storms and drive carefully (or don't drive at all). Snowstorms are much better than hurricanes, tornadoes, or earthquakes. Our natural disasters in New York are only the politicians.