PROVIDENCE, R.I. — More than 70,000 customers across the U.S. Northeast had lost power Saturday as a potent nor’easter swept toward the region, bringing the threat of damaging winds, fallen trees and severe coastal flooding. Forecasters cautioned that some roads could be submerged as conditions deteriorate through the weekend.
The storm was already delivering heavy rain and strong winds across a region home to tens of millions of people. The National Weather Service warned of dangerous flooding along the Mid-Atlantic shoreline, with New Jersey and Delaware expected to face some of the greatest risks.
“This storm is expected to bring major coastal flooding to the Mid-Atlantic Coast over multiple high tide cycles through the weekend,” the weather service said Saturday. Officials urged residents to act quickly, warning that low-lying coastal areas could see significant inundation, flooded roads and damage to homes and businesses.
In Surf City, a coastal New Jersey borough, seawater rippled through flooded streets and entered some homes. Roughly 34 miles (54.7 kilometers) north in Manasquan, where water had also begun covering roads, Mayor Mike Mangan said residents should expect “a lot of water in the streets for a long time.” Officials had earlier issued a voluntary evacuation notice for some low-lying neighborhoods.
The nor’easter also disrupted weekend plans, forcing concert cancellations and grounding dozens of flights to airports in Boston, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Friday and Saturday. Several airlines offered to waive selected change and cancellation fees for East Coast travel affected by the storm.
New Jersey communities prepare for major flooding
Sea Bright Mayor Brian Kelly said the small New Jersey shore community was preparing for winds reaching 50 mph (80 kph) and water as deep as 6 feet (1.8 meters) on some streets. Flooding was expected to begin Saturday and intensify around midday.
“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,” Kelly said, referring to the 2011 storm that caused widespread flooding across the Northeast. “I hope I’m wrong, but that’s my gut feeling.”
Kelly said he hoped the hundreds of people living in vulnerable, low-lying sections would choose to leave ahead of the worst conditions. The community planned to open its recreation center as an emergency shelter.
Damaging winds threaten coastal New England
Matthew Belk, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Norton, Massachusetts, said peak gusts could reach 60 to 65 mph (97 to 105 kph) across Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket on Friday night and Saturday. Boston could see gusts of about 50 to 55 mph (80 to 89 kph), while inland communities were expected to experience winds of 35 to 40 mph (56 to 64 kph).
“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,” Belk said.
Nor’easters are common as New England heads into fall, Belk said, but the timing of this storm presents an added concern: Many trees are still carrying their leaves. The extra foliage can catch the wind, increasing the chance of broken branches, blocked roads and power outages.
Along the New Jersey and Delaware coasts, wind gusts could reach 60 mph (96.6 kph), according to the National Weather Service. Southeastern Connecticut and eastern Long Island, New York, could experience similarly strong winds capable of bringing down tree limbs and power lines.
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Storm disrupts concerts, baseball and flights
More than 200 flights involving airports in Boston, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and New York had been canceled Friday, with additional cancellations scheduled for Saturday.
The Boston Red Sox also revised their weekend schedule against the Chicago Cubs, moving Sunday afternoon’s game to Friday as part of a split doubleheader. Ed Sheeran, meanwhile, canceled his highly anticipated Friday and Saturday performances at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, because of the storm.
Ferry service between Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard was heavily disrupted Friday, with strong winds and rough seas prompting widespread cancellations.
Ferries to Block Island from Rhode Island were canceled as well, and officials expected the interruptions to continue into Saturday.
For regular island travelers, the prospect of being stranded on either side of the water is “part of life,” said Sean Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. He said most residents and visitors maintain backup plans for weather-related ferry cancellations.
“It’s a nuisance, but you know, we know what to do with this kind of stuff at this point,” he said. “This is not out of the realm of ordinary.”
Ashley Destino of Gloucester, a coastal city in northern Massachusetts, enjoyed a stroll along the beach with her two young children before preparing to hunker down at home during the storm.
“We came to the beach on Friday afternoon because we knew we were going to be inside all weekend,” said Destino, who has Legos and arts and crafts activities prepared to entertain her two children, ages 7 and 4.
She also prepared by securing her boat with additional lines, and her husband pulled out a generator in case the electricity goes out.
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Willingham reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Michael Casey in Boston; Rodrique Ngowi in Gloucester, Massachusetts; and Anthony Izaguirre in New York contributed to this report.
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