What we're tracking
• Rare storm: A strong, early season nor’easter has arrived in the Northeast and is delivering a prolonged stretch of strong wind, soaking rain and coastal flooding to the region through the weekend.
• Power outages incoming: Wind picked up across the region late yesterday and will peak through Saturday night. Gusts could top out at 50 mph for the New York City metro area and 60 mph near Boston — strong enough to topple trees and knock down power lines.
• Battered shorelines: Tides are rising around Saturday’s full moon, worsening coastal flooding. Areas close to the water in New Jersey and the New York City area could see up to 3 feet of inundation. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a travel advisory due to flooding concerns.
• Latest on cancellations: Ed Sheeran’s Massachusetts concerts and three music festivals are among the shows canceled this weekend due to the weather. Major airlines have waived change fees for certain flights through northeastern airports, citing the storm.
Meteorologist Derek Van Dam reports as the nor’easter’s wave action sweeps against seawalls in Scituate, Massachusetts.
Video shows waves surging across cracked North Carolina Highway 12 after ocean water spilled over protective sand dunes in the Outer Banks as a nor'easter starts to batter the Mid-Atlantic coast. The storm has brought coastal flooding from North Carolina to New Jersey since Wednesday, with conditions expected to worsen through the weekend as wind gusts reach up to 60 mph and some areas see up to 5 inches of rain.
Where the storm is now
The nor’easter intensified overnight and is now at its peak intensity off the Northeast coast.
Light to moderate rain is falling from Boston to New York City and Philadelphia. Most places have seen less than inch so far, but there’s plenty more to come.
Peak gusts since Friday night have reached 50 to 60 mph so far along the coast from southeast Massachusetts to New Jersey. A few spots in Ocean County, New Jersey, had gusts around 70 mph.
Coastal flooding is ramping up around this morning’s high tide. Moderate to major coastal flooding is expected from the New York City area to the New Jersey coast and Virginia. This could inundate roads and threaten vulnerable homes and businesses.
Ed Sheeran’s concerts at Kraft-owned Gillette Stadium canceled over weather concerns
Ed Sheeran’s weekend concerts at Gillette Stadium have been canceled due to weather, the Robert Kraft-owned venue said Friday, as controversy continues to swirl around the tour and Kraft’s role in getting Macklemore dropped from the tour’s US dates for his onstage support of Palestine.
Event organizers canceled the concerts on Friday and Saturday night “following consultation with local officials, the promoter and tour,” citing hazardous weather warnings in place for Boston and across New England throughout the weekend.
“The decision was made with the safety of fans, staff and everyone involved in the shows as the top priority,” the venue said in a statement, adding ticket refunds are available.
Music festivals in Maryland, New York canceled amid nor'easter
As an intensifying early-season nor’easter slams the US Eastern Seaboard and is set to continue into the Northeast this weekend, organizers of Maryland’s Oceans Calling festival, held in Ocean City, chose to cancel their event.
Tides, floods and high winds had prevented the setup of the three-day music festival.
“Following the advice of the National Weather Service and in cooperation with local public officials, we must make the difficult decision to cancel,” the event promoters announced Friday.
The Global Citizen Festival planned for Saturday in Central Park was canceled. Organizers noted this is the first cancellation of the event in 14 years. “Safety has to come first,” their statement said, pointing to dangerous weather conditions forecast for the weekend.
Also canceled were the All Things Go Festival in Forest Hills, New York, originally scheduled to run Friday through Sunday, and the CBGB Festival in Brooklyn, scheduled for Saturday.
“The safety of our fans, the artists and local crew is our top priority,” organizers said in a statement.
What is a nor’easter?
A nor’easter is a storm that moves along the US East Coast and produces winds from the northeast – hence the name – over land. These storms are driven by the temperature contrast between cool, dry land and warm, moist ocean offshore waters heated by the Gulf Stream, a strong ocean current that transports warm water north from the Gulf into the Atlantic Ocean.
Nor’easters typically form between Georgia and New Jersey within 100 miles east or west of the East Coast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
They are most common between the months of September and April but can happen at any time of the year. While nor’easters are not unusual in September, a storm of this intensity is more typical in the winter than in early fall.
Airlines waive change fees for flights to and from Northeast airports
American, United, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue are waiving change fees to various Northeast airports based on the forecast weather conditions for the region over the weekend.
Major airports included in the waiver are Boston Logan International Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport, among others.
Passengers should check their airline’s website or app for specific details and restrictions.
The latest
The storm will deliver its worst impacts from now through Sunday morning. Rain and breezy conditions will continue late Sunday and Monday in some areas, but the storm will be past its peak by then.
Read the forecasts below for a more comprehensive breakdown of each threat and when they are expected to be most hazardous for your area.
Confidence: We are confident the Northeast will experience a long-duration nor’easter with coastal flooding, strong winds and periods of heavy rain.
Wind threats
Long-lasting strong winds will pound the East Coast through the weekend and continue to cause widespread coastal flooding. The longevity and strength of these winds could also cause power outages.
Gusts between 50 to 60 mph will blast the coast from southern New England and Long Island to New Jersey into Sunday morning.
New York City will see gusts of 40 to 50 mph while Philadelphia and other parts of southeast Pennsylvania could see gusts of 35 to 45 mph during the same time frame.
These gusts are all strong enough to topple trees, especially because trees that are full of leaves are more prone to fall in high winds. Any downed trees could damage power lines, homes or property.
Coastal flood threats
Coastal flooding is ongoing along the East Coast during high tides, and it’s being enhanced by higher than normal tides from Saturday’s full moon.
Ocean water is inundating low-lying areas, including roads and vulnerable properties. Road flooding can happen even at minor flood levels.
Coastal areas from North Carolina through most of New Jersey will deal with major flooding at high tides on Saturday. New Jersey’s worst high tide will come Saturday morning.
Major flooding has already occurred at high tides this week in North Carolina and Virginia. In areas where additional major flooding is expected, indicated in dark blue below, there could be widespread road flooding and water entering homes and businesses.
Rain totals and flood threats
Enough rain will fall to cause some flooding issues in the Northeast, even in areas not impacted by coastal flooding. The risk is highest in urban or low-lying areas from southern New England through New York City to New Jersey.
Portions of eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island could see 2 to 4 inches of rain this weekend, with the hardest hit areas seeing up to 5 inches — more than a month’s worth. The heaviest rain will fall Saturday into Sunday.
New York City could also record more than 3 inches of rain. The city may struggle to drain any floodwater with coastal water levels forecast to rise much higher than normal.
Around 2 to 4 inches of rain are also possible in New Jersey while parts of eastern Pennsylvania could see 1 to 2 inches Saturday into Sunday.
Today’s forecast:
Tomorrow’s forecast:
