A nor'easter is gaining strength and will move slowly and close enough to the coast to bring significant coastal impacts to the Eastern Seaboard, including coastal flooding, high surf, heavy rain and strong winds through Friday.
An area of low pressure has developed well off the mid-Atlantic coast, and rain from this system will continue to overspread much of southeastern New England, Long Island and parts of the mid-Atlantic coast.
Winds are already gusting just over 50 mph on Nantucket, and some 40 to 50 mph gusts have also been measured along parts of the southern New England coast. These wind gusts downed one tree on a vehicle in the south Boston suburb of Dedham, Massachusetts, Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Coastal flooding during Wednesday evening's high tide shut down sections of U.S. 30 and 40 west of Atlantic City and state highway 47 in Wildwood, New Jersey.
Forecast
Winds will persistently blow toward the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts between the counterclockwise flow around the area of low pressure and the clockwise flow around a strong high pressure system to its north over the Canadian Maritimes and northern New England.
That onshore wind will have several notable impacts along the Eastern Seaboard into Saturday.
-Coastal Flooding, Surf: Rough surf conditions and rip currents will likely impact the East Coast for a prolonged period. Widespread moderate coastal flooding is expected from the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina to Cape Cod, with localized major flooding possible. Beach erosion will also likely impact the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts.
This event will last several days and extend across as many as six high-tide cycles, allowing water to pile up in vulnerable areas. The three high tides of most concern along the mid-Atlantic coasts are around 6 p.m. Thursday, 6-7 a.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Friday.
Inundation above ground level could reach 2 to 3 feet at high tide on the Atlantic coast of western Long Island. Coastal inundations of 1 to 2 feet can be expected in many areas from the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina to southeast New England.
Coastal flood warnings, watches and advisories have been issued by the National Weather Service along portions of the Northeast coast.
-Heavy Rain: Periods of rain will pivot into the Northeast coast through Saturday, but the heaviest rainfall is expected through Thursday night.
Parts of southeastern New England will likely see the heaviest rainfall totals, with 3 to 5 inches of rain expected. Localized rainfall amounts up to 8 inches are possible in southeastern Massachusetts. A flood watch is in effect through Friday morning for parts of southeastern Massachusetts.
Flash flooding of urban and poor-drainage areas is likely in parts of southeast New England, and will only add to the flooding headaches for areas along the shore subject to coastal flooding from the ocean.
-Wind: The onshore flow mentioned earlier will likely create prolonged windy conditions near and just inland from the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts.
The winds will be strongest through Thursday night, with scattered tree damage and power outages. The National Weather Service in Boston noted that there could be a number of days without power for those near the coast of southeastern New England.
Sustained winds up to 40 mph with higher gusts are expected across southeast New England. Gusts could top 50 mph on eastern Long Island, and 60-mph gusts cannot be ruled out on Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Block Island, where the National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning through Friday morning.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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