After Sandy: Is another storm coming?

"Another storm is exactly what the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast don't need," says Jason Samenow at The Washington Post. But residents in areas ravaged by superstorm Sandy may have no choice in the coming week. Meteorologists say a nor'easter — a brutal storm characterized by howling winds and a wintry slush of snow and rain — could soon strike, possibly setting back reconstruction efforts in areas where homes have been destroyed and thousands of households remain without power. Here, a guide to what could be another heavy blow from Mother Nature:

When is the nor'easter expected to hit?

The National Weather Service says the storm is expected to develop between Tuesday and Thursday. According to models, the storm would start brewing in the southeast then swing out over the Atlantic Ocean, before merging with icy air from the Great Lakes and swinging back over the Mid-Atlantic region.

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Will it disrupt Election Day?

It's possible, but not likely. Election Day on Tuesday will probably be spared the brunt of the storm, if it develops. "But after that, [the storm's] effects could be significant," says Eric Holthaus at The Wall Street Journal, adding to Sandy's already-heavy toll, an estimated $50 billion in damage.

Should we be worried?

A nor-easter "would obviously hamper clean-up efforts in areas afflicted by Sandy's coastal flooding," says Samenow. It would also "raise the seas again, but to a much lesser degree." However, it's not time to panic just yet. The storm is still as many as six days away, and the forecast could change before then.

Sources: The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post