Nor’easter brings heavy flooding and major power outages to the East Coast

A slow movement, powerful storm slid along the northeast coast of the United States on Saturday, producing strong winds that the electricity was cut to thousands of people while whipping up large waves and heavy rain that created dangerous conditions in some places.

Tens of millions of people were on the nor’easter’s track, which is expected to affect the mid-Atlantic region and New England through the weekend. Around 100,000 customers in the region were without electricity SATURDAY.

Forecasts predicted no immediate respite. There will be “a lot of high winds, a lot of high tides and heavy rain possible over the next few days across the northeastern United States,” said Bob Oravec, chief forecaster for the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

Rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches are expected from the Philadelphia area to eastern New Jersey, and parts of Long Island and southern New England could receive 3 to 5 inches of rain.

The Northeast is rapidly intensifying and is expected to make a sharp turn toward the Jersey Shore overnight Saturday into Sunday. It could stagnate or meander nearby through Monday, extending rain, wind and coastal impacts before finally moving on Tuesday.

Beach towns suffer severe flooding

On Long Island, New York, people paddled down flooded streets in kayaks.

In the coastal neighborhood of Surf City, New Jersey, Kenny Formica sat at home and watched surveillance cameras showing water rising inside the marina he owns. Water getting inside the building is rare, Formica said. The last time he remembers this happening was during Hurricane Sandy, which he estimates caused more than $4 million in damage to his business.

Before the storm, Formica said workers secured moorings, moved objects and equipment out of harm’s way and parked marina trucks and forklifts at the highest point on the property. Saturday morning, even these were almost surrounded by water.

Formica said he woke up Saturday to messages from customers reporting missing boats and jet skis. A customer sent him a video around 4 a.m. showing his 25-foot boat after it had blown off its lift.

“It’s like an 8,000-pound boat and, you know, a $150,000 boat that just disappeared,” Formica said.

In Ocean City, Maryland, high waves caused beach erosion, washed out dune fences, and led to flooding.

“In all the canals, the water rises very high and comes into people’s yards,” Jay Boyd said by phone.

Farther south, Ellie Hodge stood on her front porch in Norfolk, Virginia, on Saturday and watched passing vehicles wake up. The coastal town has seen isolated flooding all week from the northeast.

“We saw cars getting stuck on the road, going on the sidewalks,” Hodge said. “It was pretty bad this time.”

The storm forced many people to change their plans. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Boston Logan International Airport, as were the vast majority of flights to popular Massachusetts tourist destinations Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.

Gusty winds could cause damage and increase flooding

Coastal New Jersey and Delaware could see wind gusts of around 60 miles per hour, although meteorologists have already seen winds of more than 70 miles per hour. Inland, residents could see wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph.

Eastern Long Island and southeastern New England could see gusts of 45 to 65 mph.

Maximum wind gusts on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket could approach 60 to 65 miles per hour Friday night and Saturday, NWS meteorologist Matthew Belk said.

Inland residents will see wind gusts around 50 to 55 mph, Belk said.

“The closer you are to the coast, the more likely you are to see impacts from the storm,” Belk said.

The fact that the nor’easter arrives early in the season could have even more damaging effects. Because the trees are still fully deciduous, they will have more wind resistance, Belk said. This could increase the risk of falling limbs, which, combined with saturated ground caused by heavy rains, could cause power outages, leave debris on roadways and lead to other property damage.

Strong winds could also push ocean waves over seawalls, creating flooding. Large waves and high water levels could also lead to beach erosion and sand dune breaches.

On the South Shore of Massachusetts, the towns of Cohasset and Scituate were in the heart of the storm. Although parts of the coastline are protected by sea walls, some of them are being repaired or have been renovated. I saw these projects stagnate due to reductions in federal funding.

“So the waves hit the seawall and go straight up about 60, 70, 80 feet, and the wind hits it from the northeast and every wave ends up hitting the house,” Kevin Gill, who owns an oceanfront home in Scituate, told CBS News Boston on Thursday.

Storm causes event cancellations, travel disruptions

The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs – both preparing for the postseason during the final weekend of the Major League Baseball regular season – had to change the schedule of their three-game series. They played a doubleheader Friday in Boston to try to avoid the storm. MLB then rescheduled its final Sunday to take place in Florida, at the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ed Sheeran canceled his high-profile concerts Friday and Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Also canceled: an Ironman triathlon in New York and the three-day Oceans Calling festival in Ocean City, Maryland, which had been billed online as “a wave of music.”

Further south, a highway closure on North Carolina’s Hatteras Island scrambled Jayden Sink and Kimberly Laprad’s wedding plans Saturday. The Virginia couple had arrived on the island before the storm, but most of their approximately 45 guests were stranded on the other side of the closure, the Island Free Press reported. A local campground provided a new venue, cabins and a celebrant, and a DJ volunteered to provide the music. Organizers invited everyone on the island to come and celebrate with the couple on Saturday afternoon.

In New York, the Global Citizens Festival and All Things Go NYC were canceled ahead of the storm.

The northeast also caused hundreds of flight cancellations and delays. Flight tracking service FlightAware reported 260 flight cancellations for Boston Logan International Airport as of early Saturday evening.

Officials in the east coast state urged people to exercise caution. New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul said coastal flooding posed the greatest threat, but the storm would also bring heavy rain, powerful winds and waves of up to 20 feet.

“The rain is underway and even though it’s only half an inch so far, mark my words: a lot more is coming,” the governor said early Saturday.

On Long Island, ferry owner Stephanie Sherman said she had suspended operations between Patchogue and the barrier island of Fire Island.

“It was a pretty bad storm,” Sherman said. “But nothing we haven’t experienced in the past. It happens from time to time.”