Every year, winter churns up big storms along the East Coast which grow quickly and cause wild weather. One of the biggest reason for this occurrence is due to a large air mass difference. Just like in the spring time when thunderstorms erupt along a cold front, a cold and dry air mass battles a warm moist air mass to create instability. The same process occurs during the winter, but in a slightly different fashion.

The battle ground here is not a cold front, but a boundary between land and ocean. A relative cold, dry air mass originates from the land, whereas the moisture and "warmth" originate from the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, relative to the East Coast, a mild flow from the Gulf Stream (a warmer jet of water) flows along the southeast coast and rides up though the Mid-Atlantic before moving northeast to the North Atlantic.

Due to the added energy from the Gulf Stream and the boundary with the land, storms have the ability to rapidly strengthen and cause paralyzing winter storms.

This does not occur for every storm that enters the Atlantic, upper level winds and the orientation of the atmosphere need to be considered as well. This years has been one which all the ingredients have been in play multiple times, where big storms unleash their fury along areas east of the Appalachian Mountains.

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