Northeast nor’easter floods coastal areas and cuts power to thousands
A slow-moving nor’easter flooded coastal communities, disrupted flights and left more than 88,000 customers without power Saturday.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
2 min read
On September 26, a slow-moving nor’easter brought flooding, power outages and widespread travel disruption to the U.S. Northeast. The northeast nor’easter flooding outages affected coastal communities from the mid-Atlantic into New England, with forecasters warning that wind, high tides and heavy rain could continue for days.
More than 88,000 homes and businesses were without electricity as of Saturday afternoon, down from an earlier peak of about 119,000, Al Jazeera reported. The Associated Press said downed trees had contributed to outages affecting about 100,000 customers at one point.
New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency on Friday in counties expected to receive the worst conditions, including New York City, according to Al Jazeera. Authorities warned people to avoid beaches and flooded areas as coastal water levels rose.
Where was coastal flooding expected to be worst?
The National Weather Service said the highest tides were expected north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, from Saturday night through Sunday. The agency warned that coastal and bayside communities could see widespread road flooding, the Associated Press reported.
Flooding was reported in parts of New Jersey and New York. In Ocean City, Maryland, heavy surf eroded beaches and damaged fencing near dunes, while residents reported water entering backyards through canals, according to the AP. A flooding-related highway closure also disrupted travel on North Carolina’s Hatteras Island, where transportation workers were assessing conditions.
Bob Oravec, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service office in College Park, Maryland, said the Northeast could face strong winds, elevated tides and possible heavy rain over the following days. He said nor’easters are common as New England enters autumn, although this large storm may have arrived earlier than usual.
The storm also disrupted air travel. FlightAware data cited by Al Jazeera showed about 425 flight cancellations and 1,338 delays on Saturday. The AP reported hundreds of canceled flights at Boston Logan International Airport and said most flights serving Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket had also been canceled.
Weather disruptions extended to public events. Ed Sheeran canceled scheduled Massachusetts concerts on Friday and Saturday, according to Al Jazeera, while the AP reported cancellations or changes affecting sporting events and festivals.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said coastal flooding posed the principal danger and urged people to stay out of or away from the water. The AP reported that waves, heavy rain and high winds were also forecast as the storm moved slowly along the coast.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.