A man has died after being struck by a falling tree in New York as millions across the United States face a powerful nor’easter that officials warn could intensify through the weekend.
The 56-year-old man was taken to a hospital on Saturday after the tree came down at 3:24 p.m., a New York Police Department spokesperson confirmed to Our News Outlet.
He was later pronounced dead. The victim, whose identity had not been released, worked for the New York City Housing Authority, the agency confirmed to CBS News.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and the NYCHA community,” the housing authority said in a statement.
The NYPD described the death as the first “potentially weather-related” fatality associated with the unusually early nor’easter. These powerful coastal storms generally develop as autumn gives way to winter.
Downpours and strong winds moved into the region late Friday before temporarily easing Saturday afternoon. Officials said the threat would return overnight, when a full moon is expected to amplify an already elevated tide.
“The rain is underway, and while it’s only half an inch or so thus far, mark my words, much more is coming,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said at a Saturday briefing.
In a news release, Hochul characterized the storm as “dangerous” and warned that it presented a “significant risk.”
A falling tree struck a man in Brooklyn during Saturday’s nor’easter, as shown above. He was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
A rare and powerful nor’easter battered parts of the United States over the weekend. The vehicle shown above was submerged near the Hudson River.
Flooding in Atlantic City has reached historic levels, with officials saying it is the worst seen there since Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents on Friday to avoid unnecessary travel over the weekend.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said in a video message Saturday afternoon that the brief break in severe weather did not signal the storm’s end. She told residents to “stay vigilant” as the nor’easter continued to strengthen.
Hochul later said the storm was already “bearing down” on coastal communities in Long Island, New York City and Westchester County. Both New York and New Jersey have declared states of emergency.
A 15-foot wave was recorded near the entrance to New York Harbor on Saturday morning. Floodwaters spread across parts of Queens, prompting some residents to navigate their streets by kayak.
Nicholas Isabella posted video showing several kayakers moving through floodwater outside a subway station in Howard Beach.
Other kayakers were filmed traveling along a residential Queens street while rising water inundated nearby businesses.
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Atlantic City has also endured extensive flooding, with water levels climbing to their highest point since Superstorm Sandy struck in 2012.
New Jersey Representative Jeff Van Drew said on X that South Jersey was experiencing “some of the worst flooding” since the historic storm.
Cars sat partially submerged in New Jersey floodwaters Saturday as the nor’easter swept through. Governor Mikie Sherrill cautioned that an afternoon pause did not mean the storm had passed.
A satellite image of the storm is pictured above the northeastern US on Saturday
Cars were seen fully submerged in floodwater in Edgewater, New Jersey, on Saturday afternoon
Massachusetts has also faced dangerous conditions. Massive waves were seen crashing into a seawall in Scituate, Massachusetts.
Saturday night’s full moon is adding to the massive waves on the Northeastern coastline. The waves are expected to reach their highest point during high tide at around 8pm EST.
As of Saturday evening, almost 108,000 Americans were without power, according to the live tracking site Power Outage.
The most outages were in New York, with just under 29,000 without power. Just under 20,000 customers in Connecticut were without power, while about 14,000 in New Jersey also saw outages.
About 6,000 families in Pennsylvania and 4,700 in Washington and Massachusetts were also without power. Less than 4,000 customers in Virginia and California also experienced outages.
A full moon on Saturday is intensifying high tide. Waves were seen crashing onto the Massachusetts shore
A 15-foot wave was reported in New York on Saturday afternoon. Children are seen above dodging the gigantic waves in Rye, New York
Sandbags were placed in Brooklyn as rainwater flooded the streets. A man in East New York was killed by a fallen tree on Saturday afternoon
Power outages are expected to increase as wind gusts reach 60 mph, and New Yorkers can expect 3 to 6 inches of rainfall.
Northern New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley are expecting about 2 to 6 inches, while Cape Cod, Rhode Island, and eastern Connecticut are expecting about 4 to 6 inches.
The storm has disrupted Americans’ travel plans across the country, with over 2,000 flights delayed and more than 430 canceled on Saturday.
The Global Citizen Festival in Central Park and the All Things Go Festival in Queens were also canceled this weekend because of the storm.
