Nor'easter brings coastal flooding, power outages and event cancellations across the Northeast

A powerful nor'easter moving slowly along the northeastern U.S. coast on Saturday generated high winds, heavy rain and large waves, leaving roughly 100,000 customers without electricity and creating dangerous flooding in several New Jersey communities.

Bob Oravec, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, warned that the region would continue to face "a lot of high winds, a lot of high tides and heavy rain possibility over the next few days."

In Surf City, New Jersey, rising water inundated streets and entered homes, while the owner of Surf City Marina reported that a 25-foot, $150,000 boat was swept off its lift. Mayor Brian Kelly of Sea Bright said the borough was preparing for winds up to 50 mph and flood levels that could reach six feet, comparable to the 2011 Irene storm.

Meteorologist Matthew Belk of the NWS in Norton, Massachusetts, noted that gusts could approach 60-65 mph on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and that lingering leaves on trees could increase the risk of downed limbs and power outages. Similar gusts of up to 60 mph were forecast for the Atlantic coasts of New Jersey and Delaware.

The storm forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights at Boston Logan International Airport and at airports on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Major League Baseball reshuffled a Boston-Chicago series, moving a double-header to Friday and relocating the final game to Florida. Ed Sheeran canceled his concerts at Gillette Stadium, and a wedding on North Carolina’s Hatteras Island was disrupted by a highway closure.

State officials urged residents to remain cautious. Delaware Governor Matt Meyer posted reminders to monitor the forecast, while New York Governor Kathy Hochul highlighted coastal flooding as the greatest threat, adding that heavy rain and waves up to 20 feet were expected.