A powerful nor'easter began lashing the US East Coast Friday night, September 25, flooding roads and inundating some homes in coastal New Jersey communities as the storm showed its first major signs ahead of a dangerous weekend.
Where the Flooding Is Already Happening
In the coastal New Jersey borough of Surf City, water rippling with waves flooded the streets and inundated some homes as the storm's outer effects began reaching the region. The National Weather Service has warned that dangerous flooding is expected along the Mid-Atlantic coast, particularly near New Jersey and Delaware.
How Many People Are in the Storm's Path
Thousands were without power on the East Coast Friday night, with tens of millions of people in the storm's broader path as it began lashing the region with strong winds and rain, with forecasters warning of much more to come through the weekend.
A Warning of "Irene-Scale" Flooding
Local officials in New Jersey are bracing for potentially historic impacts. One town official, identified only as Kelly, said: "It's going to be worse than average. 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 added, "I hope I'm wrong, but that's my gut feeling," referencing Hurricane Irene, the 2011 storm that caused major flooding across the Northeast. Kelly said he hopes hundreds of residents in low-lying areas will consider evacuating, and confirmed the town would open its recreation center for evacuees.
Wind Speeds Expected Across the Region
According to Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton, Massachusetts, peak wind gusts could approach 60 to 65 mph on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket Friday night and Saturday, compared with roughly 50 to 55 mph around Boston and 35 to 40 mph further inland. Belk summarized the storm's general pattern: "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."
How Residents Are Preparing
In Gloucester, a coastal city in northern Massachusetts, resident Ashley Destino took her two young children for a beach walk Friday afternoon before hunkering down for the weekend. "We came to the beach on Friday afternoon because we knew we were going to be inside all weekend," she said, noting she had Legos and arts and crafts activities ready to entertain her children, ages 7 and 4. She also secured her boat with additional lines, while her husband prepared a generator in case of power outages — precautions echoed by many coastal residents ahead of the storm.
What's Next
With the nor'easter expected to intensify through the weekend and dangerous coastal flooding already underway in parts of New Jersey, residents across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are being urged to monitor local emergency alerts and consider evacuation if they live in low-lying, flood-prone areas. For continuing live coverage, see the full NPR report.