Powerful September nor'easter brings flooding, wind and flight disruptions across the Northeast
An early-season nor'easter intensified Saturday night, causing coastal flooding, high winds, power outages and widespread travel delays from Virginia to New England.
A strong September nor'easter moved up the Atlantic coast on Saturday, delivering gusty winds, heavy rain and coastal flooding from Virginia through New England. Meteorologists reported wind gusts exceeding 70 mph in parts of New Jersey and Rhode Island, while cities such as New York, Boston and Providence recorded sustained gusts of at least 40 mph. Rainfall totals of around 2.5 inches were measured in coastal New Jersey and New York, with the greatest flooding expected around high tide.
Coastal communities experienced inundated streets and damaged seawalls, particularly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where waves battered the shoreline. In Massachusetts, waves surged against seawalls in Scituate, prompting on-scene reporting that described the storm as having “tropical-storm-force strength.”
The storm disrupted transportation, delaying more than 2,000 flights and canceling over 430, with Boston Logan and New York’s LaGuardia airports among the hardest hit. Airlines waived change fees for affected Northeast airports. Roadways were flooded, stranding drivers and prompting numerous event cancellations, including concerts, festivals, a triathlon and several sports games. The New York Yankees rescheduled a weekend game, and the New York Giants’ matchup proceeded with reduced ticket prices.
Power outages affected roughly 95,000 customers, a quarter of whom were in New York State, as wind-blown trees downed power lines. Officials warned that coastal flooding would peak in the two-hour window before and after high tide, with Atlantic City expecting its highest water levels around 8 p.m. ET.
"It’s getting intense out here," CNN correspondent Danny Freeman said while reporting from Atlantic City.
"This is tropical storm-force strength. It’s pretty wild to think this is a non-named storm," meteorologist Derek Van Dam said from Scituate, Massachusetts.
The nor'easter is expected to persist through the weekend, bringing intermittent rain and wind gusts that could affect remaining outdoor activities.