I will review some of the history of his involvement with �bombs,� and relate his research to current thinking about the synoptic and mesoscale structure of what New Englanders call Nor�easters. In doing this I will draw upon analysis and simulation of the Blizzard of �78 � a storm that just happened to strike while I was one of Fred�s students. The Blizzard of �78 had all the ingredients of a classic bomb, and took shape close enough to the coastline to shut down Boston and M.I.T.
I will focus on the quasi-geostrophic analysis of this storm, and detail the role of the various forcing mechanisms as this storm slowed and explosively deepened. In a companion paper, Brad Colman will compare a recent model run using today�s Eta model with the operational model output available in 1978. He will conclude by highlighting the evolution of operational approaches to these important east coast events.
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