Powerful September nor'easter causes coastal flooding and widespread outages along the East Coast

A rare September nor'easter swept across the Mid-Atlantic and New England over the weekend, producing coastal flooding, heavy rain and wind gusts up to 60 mph. The storm forced emergency declarations in counties of New Jersey and New York, and left nearly 80,000 customers without electricity in five states, according to PowerOutage.com.

In Atlantic City, New Jersey, water rose to the fifth step of a resident’s front porch, a level not seen since Hurricane Sandy. Similar flooding was reported along the Jersey Shore, New York City and Eastern Massachusetts, where the National Weather Service warned of sustained winds of 35-40 mph for about 48 hours, longer than a typical nor'easter.

Transportation was heavily disrupted: more than 1,000 flights were canceled, numerous flights delayed, Cape Cod and Rhode Island ferry services were interrupted, and Amtrak suspended several trains due to downed power lines. Outdoor events, including a major Maryland music festival and an AC/DC concert in New Jersey, were canceled or rescheduled, and a Boston Red Sox game was moved.

"Many nor'easters affect the area over the course of about a day," said Francis Tarasiewicz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Massachusetts. "With this one, we're looking at about a 48-hour period of winds greater than 35 to 40 miles per hour across the area."

Residents expressed concern about the increasing frequency of flooding, with one Atlantic City homeowner saying she may relocate after the storm.