Nor'easter causes death, power outages and flight cancellations in the Northeast

A nor'easter swept through the northeastern United States on Saturday, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and flooding that knocked out power for nearly 73,000 homes and businesses. The New York City Housing Authority reported that one of its employees died after a tree fell on him in Brooklyn.

Flight data showed that about 425 flights were cancelled and more than 3,000 were delayed by the evening. Concerts and sporting events, including scheduled performances by Ed Sheeran in Massachusetts, were also called off.

Bob Oravec, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, warned that the storm is expected to continue, with high winds, elevated tides and additional rain likely over the next several days. Governors of New York and New Jersey had declared states of emergency in counties most vulnerable to the storm.

State officials urged residents to avoid beaches and flooded areas. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said anyone entering or approaching water during the weekend was putting their lives at risk. Despite the warnings, some residents were observed kayaking on flooded streets in Long Island and surfing large swells in New Hampshire.

Oravec noted that while nor'easters are common in the region during autumn, this particular system arrived earlier than typical for a major storm.