Tracking a Nor'Easter

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - One week after Sandy tore through the Northeast, another storm is developing that could impact us again.

The storm is a Nor'Easter, and there is no doubt that you've heard the term before, but different storms with this name can affect western Massachusetts in very different ways.

The term "Nor'Easter" itself is confusing to many people, even those who have experienced lots of them.

"I have no idea what it means, I know there might be a meaning behind it, but I haven't really gone into it…that it's coming from the northeast?” said Alegre Hall of Springfield.

A “Nor'Easter” is an East Coast storm system that gets its name because of the wind direction that hits the coast from the North East.

Nor'Easters can bring wind, rain, snow, ice, and can push large waves onshore. While they typically are stronger between September and April, they can happen at any time of year.

One of our 22News Storm Team weather computer models shows the storm riding up along the east coast and bringing rain and possibly even some snow to western Massachusetts by Thursday.

With most leaves off the trees, any snow that we do get here in the Pioneer Valley will likely not provide a significant weight on the trees like it did during the October snowstorm.

So while the storm will need to be watched closely here in western Massachusetts, most of the concern is for areas that have been devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

"I imagine the coast, they still haven't recovered from the last storm so I imagine they're going to be apprehensive about it,” said Don Donovan of Springfield.