Nor’easter floods the northeastern US as New York and New Jersey declare emergencies

A powerful nor’easter is bringing flooding and extreme conditions to the northeastern United States, with states of emergency declared in New York and New Jersey on Friday. Tens of millions of people from Virginia to Maine are in the storm’s path.

The storm has knocked out power across the region. Outages peaked at 119,000 earlier on Saturday before falling to more than 88,000 homes and businesses by Saturday afternoon local time, according to Al Jazeera. Separately, the PowerOutage tracker reported more than 100,000 households without electricity, nearly all in the northeast, per the BBC. In New York, officials are warning of wind gusts of up to 55mph (86km/h) throughout the weekend, with downed trees and power lines expected.

Coastal flooding inundates New Jersey communities

Streets and homes were inundated with floodwater in the coastal New Jersey communities of Surf City and Manasquan on Saturday. Saturday’s full moon is projected to worsen coastal flooding, the BBC reported. In Long Island, New York, people have been seen kayaking down flooded streets, while others took advantage of large swells in Hampton, New Hampshire. “In all the canals, the water is up really high and coming into people’s back yards,” Jay Boyd, a resident of Ocean City, Maryland, told The Associated Press.

Officials urge residents to stay off roads and out of floodwater

Governor Mikie Sherrill urged New Jerseyans to take the storm seriously and follow local guidance, according to the BBC. “I urge all New Jerseyans to take this storm seriously, stay alert and follow local guidance,” Sherrill said. NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani told residents not to travel unless necessary and not to drive or walk through floodwater. New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned that “anyone who goes in or near the water this weekend is literally gambling with their life.” An NWS alert urged people to “prepare immediately for significant inundation in low-lying areas near the shore, including roads underwater and impacts to homes and businesses.”

Concerts, sports and travel disrupted

An Ed Sheeran concert at Gillette Stadium in the Boston area was cancelled for safety reasons, the venue said. The Global Citizen Festival in New York City’s Central Park, headlined by Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and John Legend, was also called off. A professional football match between Red Bull New York and St Louis City SC was cancelled. The Red Sox moved the final game in their series against the Chicago Cubs to Sunday afternoon in Florida. On the travel front, FlightAware data cited by Al Jazeera showed 425 flights cancelled and 1,338 delayed on Saturday. Broader FlightAware figures reported by the BBC showed 1,199 flights grounded and more than 2,400 delayed. The Federal Aviation Administration recommended passengers check with airlines about their flight status.

Storm expected to persist into the week

Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the NWS in College Park, Maryland, said nor’easters are not unusual as New England enters autumn, but that this storm might be a little earlier than average for a big storm. He said the region faces a lot of high winds, high tides and heavy rain over the next few days.