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<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\n**A new scientific study warns that future nor\u2019easters\u2014**the infamous winter storms that pummel the East Coast of the United States<\/strong>\u2014could become even more destructive<\/strong> than those recorded in the past, due to the ongoing effects of climate change<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Michael Mann<\/strong>, a prominent climate scientist at the University of Pennsylvania<\/strong>, has co-authored the research that suggests these storms are being supercharged by warmer oceans and rising air temperatures<\/strong>. This kind of warming fuels storms by increasing evaporation<\/strong> and boosting atmospheric moisture<\/strong>, which then gets released as more intense rainfall or snowfall<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The study points to an upward trend in storm intensity<\/strong>. By analyzing 900 nor\u2019easters<\/strong> from 1940 to 2025<\/strong>, researchers found that the most powerful storms have increased their maximum wind speed by about 6%<\/strong>. While that may seem like a modest number, it translates to an estimated 20% increase in destructive potential<\/strong>, according to Mann.<\/p>\n Rainfall and snowfall volumes<\/strong> have also risen\u2014by approximately 10%<\/strong>. That\u2019s a significant shift, especially for cities like New York<\/strong>, Boston<\/strong>, Philadelphia<\/strong>, and Washington D.C.<\/strong>, which lie squarely in the path of these storms.<\/p>\n The March 1993 \u201cStorm of the Century\u201d<\/strong>, one of the deadliest and costliest storms<\/strong> in U.S. history, unleashed winds topping 100 mph<\/strong>, dumped up to 60 inches of snow<\/strong>, and caused over 200 deaths<\/strong>. Similarly, the infamous \u201cSnowmageddon\u201d<\/strong> of February 2010<\/strong> buried parts of Maryland<\/strong>, Pennsylvania<\/strong>, Virginia<\/strong>, and West Virginia<\/strong> under more than 20 inches<\/strong> of snow and cut power to hundreds of thousands<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Mann himself was trapped for three days in a Philadelphia<\/strong> hotel during Snowmageddon<\/strong>, an event that sparked his interest in studying these storms more deeply.<\/p>\n Nor\u2019easters form primarily between September and April<\/strong>, and their energy is driven by temperature contrasts<\/strong>\u2014specifically, between cold Arctic air<\/strong> and warmer, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean<\/strong>.<\/p>\n But with Arctic regions warming faster than the rest of the Northern Hemisphere<\/strong>, that contrast is weakening, which may lead to fewer overall storms<\/strong>. However, when nor\u2019easters do<\/em> form, the data suggests they will be stronger and wetter<\/strong> than before.<\/p>\n \u201cThe physics are simple,\u201d Mann said. Warmer air and oceans<\/strong> equal more fuel<\/strong> for storms.<\/p>\n The research also suggests that flooding risk along the East Coast is being undervalued<\/strong>. According to Mann, storms like the 1962 Ash Wednesday Nor\u2019easter<\/strong> caused hurricane-level damage<\/strong> and left an economic toll equivalent to tens of billions of dollars<\/strong> today.<\/p>\n This underscores the urgent need to reassess the vulnerability of coastal cities<\/strong> like New York<\/strong>, Boston<\/strong>, and Baltimore<\/strong>, where storm surge<\/strong> and tidal flooding<\/strong> can cause severe damage\u2014especially as sea levels rise<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The idea that global warming<\/strong> leads only to warmer winters is misleading. Judah Cohen<\/strong>, an MIT climatologist<\/strong>, emphasized that climate change can produce paradoxical effects<\/strong>, including stronger snowstorms<\/strong> and occasional bursts of extreme cold<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Mann agreed: shorter snow seasons don\u2019t mean milder storms<\/strong>. \u201cIndividual events may pack a bigger punch<\/strong>,\u201d he said, noting that New York<\/strong> and other Northeast cities<\/strong> should prepare for episodic winter extremes<\/strong>, even as the planet continues to heat up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" **A new scientific study warns that future nor\u2019easters\u2014**the infamous winter storms that pummel the East Coast of the United States\u2014could become even more destructive than those recorded in the past, due to the ongoing effects of climate change. Michael Mann, a prominent climate scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, has co-authored the research that suggests […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":6036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/h3>\n
The rising power of historic storms<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Remembering past devastation<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Why nor\u2019easters are intensifying<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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East Coast flooding risk may be underestimated<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Extreme cold won\u2019t disappear\u2014even in a warming world<\/strong><\/h3>\n