Thousands of residents across the U.S. East Coast were without electricity late Friday night as the first significant signs of a powerful nor'easter began to emerge, with flooding already swallowing roads and, in places, homes in low-lying New Jersey shoreline communities. Forecasters warn that conditions will grow far more dangerous over the weekend.
The storm, which meteorologists refer to as a nor'easter for the persistent northerly winds that drive it, has already begun lashing the region with driving rain and gusty winds. According to the National Weather Service, tens of millions of people lie in the storm's path, and dangerous coastal flooding is expected along the Mid-Atlantic shoreline, with the greatest concern focused on New Jersey and Delaware.
In the small coastal borough of Surf City, water — its surface rippling with incoming waves — spread across the streets, inundating some homes before the worst of the storm had even arrived. Residents and officials there are bracing for water levels that could continue climbing as the storm matures offshore.
Roughly 34 miles up the coast, roads were also flooding in the borough of Manasquan, where Mayor Mike Mangan said he anticipated "a lot of water in the streets for a long time" — suggesting conditions that would linger well beyond the storm's peak. A voluntary evacuation had already been issued earlier in some low-lying areas of that community, a sign that local officials were asking vulnerable residents to move inland and to higher ground before the flooding worsened.
In the tiny New Jersey beach community of Sea Bright, Mayor Brian Kelly said the borough is preparing for winds of up to 50 mph and flooding that could reach 6 feet on some streets. Officials there expect the water to begin arriving Saturday and to worsen by midday, a timeline that leaves residents a narrow window to act.
Kelly said he hoped hundreds of residents living in low-lying parts of the borough would take the warning seriously and consider evacuating. Comparing the coming event to past storms, he said it appears likely to exceed a typical spring tide or routine coastal flooding. The community typically experiences one or two flooding events a year, he noted, sometimes more and sometimes fewer, but he believes this one could approach the severity of the flooding associated with Hurricane Irene in 2011, which caused extensive damage across the Northeast. "I hope I'm wrong," he said, adding that the assessment was based on his experience and instinct rather than a formal projection.
The storm's effects are already rippling through the region's transportation network. Concerts were canceled, and dozens of flights bound for airports serving Boston, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard were scrapped on Friday and Saturday. Several airlines said they would waive change or cancellation fees on a portion of East Coast flights through the weekend, an accommodation designed to reduce penalties for travelers whose itineraries are being disrupted by weather.
Those cancellations are likely only the beginning. Coastal airports in the Northeast sit low and are directly exposed to the storm's onshore winds, which typically push seawater inland and overwhelm drainage systems. With the storm still in its early stages Friday night, the strongest rain and wind were expected to arrive as it tracked northward over the weekend, meaning flight schedules, ferry service and other coastal travel could continue to change at short notice.
The early damage is visible up and down the coastline. On the rocky shore in Gloucester, Mass., surf broke heavily against the shoreline Friday, Sept. 25, during the early stages of the storm, with the twin lighthouses of Thatcher Island visible in the distance beyond the breaking waves. The scene offered a preview of what was to come further south, where sandy and barrier-island communities face the greatest exposure to storm surge.
Local officials across the coastal Northeast used Friday to urge residents to secure belongings, move vehicles out of low spots, and follow evacuation guidance rather than wait for visible rising water. Voluntary evacuations, as issued in parts of Manasquan, are typically extended to anyone who cannot evacuate quickly — including older adults, people with disabilities and those in flood-prone neighborhoods.
With tens of millions in the storm's path, the outage figures reported Friday night were expected to climb. Utility crews generally position lineworkers ahead of major storms, but flooding, wind-blown debris and downed lines can block access and make restoration work slow. Many households were also advised to have flashlights, food, water and charged mobile devices on hand in case of extended outages.
The overall picture remains unsettled. Forecasters continue to refine the storm's track and intensity, and the difference between a merely inconvenient coastal flood and a major flooding event can hinge on how slowly the system moves and how much water it pushes ashore. Kelly's hope that his worst-case assessment is wrong is shared by many shoreline residents — but with the storm still strengthening, officials on Friday urged preparedness rather than reassurance, and asked low-lying communities to treat the weekend as a period when conditions could deteriorate rapidly and without much warning.
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