New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency as the region prepared for a Nor’easter storm to bring flooding and power outages to residents in the Mid-Atlantic states through the weekend.
“The Nor’easter is arriving as we speak,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a video posted on social media Friday afternoon. “We want everybody to be real smart. This is going to be a difficult storm between now and Monday morning. Lots of rain. Lots of flooding.”
Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties plus New York City were included in New York’s emergency declaration and expected to get the brunt of the storm.
In New Jersey, Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced a state of emergency for eight counties.
The worst of the storm was expected to start late Friday into Saturday morning.
“Keep yourself safe,” Sherrill said in a video statement. “Check on your neighbors.”
Millions of people are in the path of the storm this weekend, with many already leaving their coastal retreats on islands near Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to travel inland for the weekend.
The New York City metro area and New Jersey may be especially impacted by the storm in the western Atlantic that is expected to bring significant impacts to the coast along much of the Eastern Seaboard, according to the latest forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The coast is expected to get flooding, rip currents, beach erosion, powerful wind gusts, and heavy rain.
“Showers and thunderstorms will lead to flash flooding and severe weather risks across parts of the central U.S. the next couple of days,” NOAA stated in the forecast.
Wind gusts over 50 mph are likely for eastern Long Island and southeastern New England, which is expected to cause power outages and tree damage in some areas, NOAA reported.
“These persistently strong onshore winds combined with high surf and high astronomical tides will likely result in widespread major coastal flooding through the weekend,” NOAA reported.
The strongest wind gusts and widespread coastal flooding will most likely hit the waterfront and shorelines of New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island, according to forecasters.
“This is a very dangerous combination of heavy snow and extreme cold temperatures,” Hochul said during a press conference Friday. “We’re ready for this, but when you get complacent, that’s when you get in trouble.”
Flooding is expected to be the worst during daytime high tide cycles Saturday and Sunday, and will extend inland from the waterfront along tidal rivers and bays, NOAA predicted.
AccuWeather meteorologist Lee Goldberg said the storm could bring breaking waves of 12 feet or more, with 15 feet at the eastern end of Long Island.
The rainfall should bring 2 to 4 inches and 4 to 6 inches in some hot spots along the Jersey Shore, Goldberg said Friday in a video update.
“It’s not the major story, but when you’re talking about a widespread 2 to 4 inches of rainfall, it’s coming over a longer duration,” Goldberg said.
Saturday and Sunday should get the heaviest rain, Goldberg said.
