Powerful Nor’easter Slams US East Coast, Threatening 40 Million

A powerful nor’easter swept onto the East Coast Friday night, putting roughly 40 million Americans in its path and pushing seawater over seawalls and into coastal communities.

The storm’s first major effects emerged after dark, as streets from New Jersey to Maryland turned into waterways and heavy surf pounded the shoreline in Rhode Island.

As the sprawling system intensified along the coast, thousands of homes and businesses lost electricity and hundreds of flights were canceled.

Weather officials cautioned that the most severe conditions had yet to arrive.

States of emergency were declared in New York City, coastal New Jersey, Long Island and Westchester County, New York, as the strengthening nor’easter approached.

In Narragansett, Rhode Island, striking video captured coastal flooding around Narragansett Pier as the storm surged into the region.

Ocean water spilled over the seawall and rushed onto Ocean Drive, while powerful waves flooded the parking lot at Narragansett Town Beach.

On New Jersey’s Long Beach Island, meanwhile, Atlantic water pushed inland and submerged residential streets.

Video showed homes surrounded by water and roads disappearing beneath the flooding, with only mailboxes visible above the rising surface.

At Surf City Bay Beach, fierce winds were already driving seawater onto shore before the nor’easter reached its peak strength.

In Ocean City, Maryland, footage recorded shortly before 10 p.m. Friday showed seawater covering sections of roadway as flooding spread through the resort town.

The hazardous weather underscored why organizers canceled the three-day Oceans Calling music festival as the storm moved closer.

Although the nor’easter is forecast to remain offshore through the weekend, meteorologists say it will pass close enough to bring damaging winds, enormous waves and serious coastal flooding.

Millions of people across the East Coast remain within the storm’s reach.

The National Weather Service warned that parts of the Mid-Atlantic could face especially dangerous flooding, with New Jersey and Delaware among the areas at greatest risk.

By nightfall Friday, floodwater was already spilling across roads in Manasquan, New Jersey.

Officials earlier issued a voluntary evacuation for some of the community’s low-lying neighborhoods. 

Mayor Mike Mangan warned residents to expect ‘a lot of water in the streets for a long time.’

Sea Bright, another vulnerable New Jersey beach community, was preparing for flooding that could leave some streets beneath as much as six feet of water.

Mayor Brian Kelly urged hundreds of residents in low-lying areas to consider getting out while they still could.

‘It’s going to be worse than average,’ Kelly warned. ‘We do have probably one or two flooding events a year, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I think this one will be closer to an Irene-scale flooding event.’

He was referring to Hurricane Irene, which caused devastating flooding across the Northeast in 2011.

‘I hope I’m wrong, but that’s my gut feeling,’ Kelly added.

The town planned to open its recreation center to residents forced from their homes.

Meanwhile, forecasters warned winds could become ferocious farther north.

Peak gusts could reach between 60 and 65mph across Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket from Friday night into Saturday.

Boston could see gusts of 50 to 55mph, while inland communities could experience winds of 35 to 40mph.

Southeastern Connecticut and eastern Long Island could experience winds approaching similar speeds. 

‘It’s definitely going to be a case of the closer to the coast you are, the more impacts from the storm you’re likely to see,’ NWS meteorologist Matthew Belk said.

One particular concern is the timing. Although nor’easters are a familiar threat as New England enters fall, many trees are still covered in leaves.

Those leaves create greater resistance against powerful winds, potentially making trees and branches more likely to come crashing down.

That in turn raises the threat of blocked roads and widespread power outages.

Travel was already descending into chaos. More than 200 flights involving airports in Boston, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and New York were canceled on Friday, with further cancellations already scheduled for Saturday.

Several airlines were allowing affected travelers to change or cancel certain East Coast flights without the usual fees.

Ferry travel was also being hammered by the deteriorating weather.

Public ferries connecting Cape Cod with Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard suffered widespread cancellations on Friday as strong winds churned the ocean.

Rhode Island ferries serving Block Island were also canceled, with disruption expected to continue on Saturday.

For island residents, getting stranded by brutal coastal weather is an occupational hazard.

‘It’s a nuisance, but you know, we know what to do with this kind of stuff at this point,’ said Sean Driscoll, a spokesman for the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. ‘This is not out of the realm of ordinary.’

The storm also tore through weekend entertainment and sporting schedules.

The Boston Red Sox rearranged their series against the Chicago Cubs, shifting Sunday’s afternoon game to Friday as part of a split doubleheader.

Ed Sheeran canceled high-profile Friday and Saturday concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, because of the dangerous conditions.

In Gloucester, Massachusetts, Ashley Destino took advantage of the last hours before the storm to bring her two young children to the beach.

‘We came to the beach on Friday afternoon because we knew we were going to be inside all weekend,’ she said.

Destino prepared Legos and arts and crafts to keep her children, aged seven and four, entertained while the family hunkered down.

She also added extra lines to secure her boat, while her husband prepared a generator in case the power failed.