Saturday saw a nor’easter battering the East Coast with heavy rain, hurricane-force winds and 16-foot waves, causing flooding on streets in both New York and New Jersey while governors declared a state of emergency.
Saturday morning, Governor Kathy Hochul spoke to reporters and said the worst may still come, according to her own remarks at a news conference. “With tonight’s full moon, the tides may even be higher,” was part of what she said there. “We expect waves as tall as 20 feet in some areas. Winds will be just as powerful as the waves, wind gusts exceeding 50, even 60 miles an hour, have already been recorded on Long Island.”
Wind and Water Combine
Millions of people faced flood warnings when the storm arrived late Friday, bringing heavy rain. New Jersey and New York were under a state of emergency, and their streets were already flooded as the storm and high tide combined to create dangerous conditions.
Late Friday night, a weather station in Surf City, New Jersey, recorded a wind gust of 74 mph. Elsewhere along the Jersey Shore, other stations have reported wind gusts reaching 60 mph or higher. The strong winds felled trees in New York City, with some falling across parked vehicles.
Late Friday saw tidal flood waters reach moderate flood stage, and they rose further ahead of Saturday morning’s high tide. From the southern Chesapeake Bay to the Jersey Shore and into the Raritan Bay, coastal flooding pushed these areas to moderate to major flood stage during that morning’s high tide. Even though the tide has started to fall, several of those places continue to grapple with moderate to major coastal flooding.
What the Governor Warned About
The governor cautioned that power outages would likely occur across the state and pushed people to get ready for them. She noted that subways and trains have kept running as planned up until now. To protect service, storm doors have been installed at rail yards in Coney Island and Howard Beach.
She also warned against entering the water. “Although we just saw a surfer on one of the cameras off the coast of Long Island, stay out of the water,” she said. “Anyone who goes in or near the water this weekend is literally gambling with their life.”
The Scale of the Alerts
A coastal flood warning covers eastern Virginia all the way to southern Maine, taking in Virginia Beach, Philadelphia, New York City, New London, Connecticut, Providence, Rhode Island, and Boston. Later Saturday evening, moderate to major flooding could strike from the southern Chesapeake Bay up to Raritan Bay during high tide.
A wind advisory covers the Delmarva Peninsula up to eastern Massachusetts, taking in Dover, Delaware; Philadelphia; New York City; Hartford, Connecticut; and Worcester, Massachusetts, where gusts can reach up to 45 mph. A high wind warning is in effect for the Jersey Shore, along with portions of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, including Boston, Providence and Atlantic City, where gusts could top 60 mph.
| Alert | Area | Gust Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal flood alert | Eastern Virginia to southern Maine | — |
| Wind advisory | Delmarva to eastern Massachusetts | Up to 45 mph |
| High wind warning | Jersey Shore, Rhode Island, Massachusetts | Up to 60 mph |
Coastal Delmarva through the Jersey Shore, Long Island and southeastern coastal New England can expect high waves of 6 to 12 feet or more to keep crashing onto the shore, causing widespread and potentially serious beach loss and perilous conditions near the coast.
What Comes Next
Sunday will see the nor’easter hanging around before it breaks apart and weakens. Wind and rain will start to ease up, but gusty winds and some heavier pockets of rain could still happen, along with possible lingering impacts into Monday.
Across the Northeast, rainfall amounts will generally fall between 2 and 4 inches. The greatest totals could reach as high as 6 inches from New Jersey to Boston. Inland flash flooding is possible in places with poor drainage, where fallen leaves can block storm drains, or when the most intense bands of rain pass through.
The rain is falling over a prolonged period, which means inland flash flooding will not be the most widespread hazard. Instead, wind-driven rain could cause power outages.
The storm has already shown its force. Sixteen-foot waves, hurricane-force gusts and flooded streets are the kind of conditions that test infrastructure and patience alike. The governor’s warnings about the water are direct: anyone in it is risking death. The power outage warning suggests the storm’s effects will not end when the rain stops.
The storm came early and struck with force, and the area remains ready for further blows before the week draws to a close.
Source material: “Nor'easter brings strong winds, coastal flooding and high waves to East Coast,” ABC News.
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