March came in like a lion, and it looks like the lion isn't leaving, but you can't blame the "polar vortex" this time.

As a massive winter storm at sea known as a Nor'easter prepares to skirts the Northeast coast of the USA, bringing with it high seas and bitterly cold weather in its wake, Dr. Ryan Maue writes:
Massive Nor'easter will develop a warm-core thru a seclusion process.

Compare previous image w/Hurricane Sandy - same 850-mb Wind speed & MSLP. Nor'easter wind field much stronger/larger.

[It is] maybe 4 times more powerful than Sandy based on integrated KE of wind field.
The image of the storm is quite stunning for it's sheer size.
March Nor’easter
© ECMWF

Compare that to these satellite photos of Hurricane Sandy:
hurricane sandy
© NOAAHurricane Sandy winding up before making landfall
hurricane sandy
© NOAAHurricane Sandy near landfall.
Watch this animation of the storm as it is forecast to develop, click here to get it to animate full size.
march noreaster
The biggest difference here is the track, Sandy made landfall in NYC, this nor'easter is not expected to there, but will skirt the coast and will make landfall later in Newfoundland, But, it will have a significant effect on the northeast USA due to its ability to transport air mass.

He adds:
Not the #polarvortex this time. Textbook tropopause fold & baroclinic wrapup
polar vortix
© NCEP
What that will do is act like a pump, and pull bitterly cold air in behind it (note the stream in the rendering above). The result will be a late March like no other, possibly the coldest late March on record for the area:
March Nor’easter
© NCEP
The National Weather Service in Boston is preparing for blizzard like conditions in some areas, plus hurricane force winds at sea.
March Nor’easter
© National Weather Service Boston
They are even asking readers to "make the call" on snow amounts.
March Nor’easter
© National Weather Service Boston