BOSTON — A slow-moving Northeast nor’easter lashed the region again on Sunday, swamping shore communities and cutting electricity to tens of thousands as forecasters warned that upcoming high tides could bring additional coastal flooding.
The storm, which authorities said killed a New York City Housing Authority worker when a tree fell on Saturday, was expected to persist through Sunday with heavy rain, strong winds and hazardous surf from New Jersey to New England.
On Sunday morning the system remained just south of Long Island and east of northern New Jersey and was forecast to loop over the area for roughly another 24 hours, according to Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.
Forecasters said the heaviest remaining rainfall would affect northern New Jersey, New York City and Long Island into southern New England on Sunday. While the storm was gradually losing strength, Oravec said the risk of tidal flooding would continue through the morning high tide and again Sunday evening.
“The most impactful parts of the storm are likely going to be the high winds and the tidal flooding,” Oravec said.
The nor’easter evoked comparisons to Superstorm Sandy, which caused more than 60 billion dollars in damage across the eastern United States in 2012. Although the current storm’s effects have been far less severe, forecasters said it could be the first of several along the East Coast this fall due to an El Niño pattern influencing this year’s weather.
More than 130,000 customers across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic lacked electricity Sunday morning, according to outage trackers. The most widespread losses were reported along the New Jersey shore, on New York’s Long Island and in coastal Connecticut. Downed trees across Long Island damaged houses and cars, blocked roadways and severed utility lines.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said response coordination centers in affected areas were operating at an enhanced posture, and teams were on standby in New England in case outages expanded.
Flooded streets on Saturday prompted some residents in New Jersey and New York to travel by kayak, while others ventured to the shore to surf unusually large waves. Emergency crews in Sea Bright, New Jersey, rescued a woman and her dog after their vehicle became stuck in floodwaters, local officials said.
In Surf City, New Jersey, water rose inside a marina where workers had shifted equipment to higher ground. Owner Kenny Formica said customers reported boats and Jet Skis missing or blown from their lifts. Farther south in Norfolk, Virginia, passing cars created wakes on inundated streets.
Travel was disrupted throughout the region. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Boston Logan International Airport, and flooding cut off highway access to North Carolina’s Hatteras Island, stranding visitors and forcing one couple to relocate their wedding after most of their roughly 45 guests could not reach the island.
Reporting contributed by journalists in New York.
Forecast and impacts from the Northeast nor’easter
Forecasters said the storm would continue to affect coastal areas through Sunday’s tidal cycles, with the greatest risks from strong winds and flooding at high tide. Utilities and emergency officials urged residents to avoid flooded roads and to prepare for extended outages in the hardest-hit coastal communities.
The nor’easter’s heavy rain and coastal surge came weeks after other storms, such as Hurricane Polo, underscored the season’s volatile weather patterns across the broader region.