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season: winter
section: old names for storms
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the nor'easter. it comes up the coast with its shoulder turned, pulling cold air from canada and wet air from the atlantic. the old fishermen named it for the wind direction that hit first.

an ice storm has no folk name. people just called it "the glaze." everything coated, everything heavy, branches snapping in the dark. the most dangerous storm is the one that looks beautiful.

a whiteout was called "the blind." you cannot see your hand. the old rule was to tie a rope from the house to the barn so you could find your way back. people died walking thirty feet.

the january thaw is not a storm but the pause between them. a few days of warmth that fools the crocuses and worries the farmers. it always ends.