Thousands of residents lost power across the U.S. East Coast on Friday night as a powerful nor'easter began flooding coastal New Jersey communities, creating dangerous conditions that threatened to paralyze transportation and commerce through the weekend. Tens of millions of people were in the storm's path as it lashed the region with strong winds and rain.
Dangerous flooding was expected along the Mid-Atlantic coast, particularly near New Jersey and Delaware, according to the National Weather Service. In the coastal New Jersey borough of Surf City, water with waves rippling along its surface flooded the streets and inundated some homes. About 34 miles up the coast in the borough of Manasquan, where some roads were also flooding, Mayor Mike Mangan said he expected "a lot of water in the streets for a long time." A voluntary evacuation had been issued earlier in some low-lying areas of the community.
Coastal Communities Brace for Impact
Brian Kelly, the mayor of the tiny New Jersey beach community Sea Bright, said the borough was bracing for winds up to 50 mph and flooding that could reach up to 6 feet on some streets. Officials expected the flooding to start Saturday and worsen by midday. "It's going to be worse than average," Kelly said. "We do have probably one or two flooding events a year, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I think this one will be closer to an Irene-scale flooding event." He added, "I hope I'm wrong, but that's my gut feeling." Kelly said he hoped hundreds of residents living in low-lying areas would consider evacuating, and he said the town would open its recreation center for evacuees.
Peak wind gusts could approach 60 to 65 mph on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket on Friday night and Saturday, compared with about 50 to 55 mph around Boston and 35 to 40 mph farther inland, according to Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with NWS in Norton, Massachusetts. "It's definitely going to be a case of the closer to the coast you are, the more impacts from the storm you're likely to see," Belk said. He said nor'easters aren't unusual as New England moves into fall, but one concern this early in the season was that leaves remained on the trees, creating more wind resistance. That could increase the risk of downed limbs, which in turn could cause power outages and leave debris in roads.
Along the Atlantic coasts of New Jersey and Delaware, wind gusts could reach 60 mph, according to NWS. In southeastern Connecticut and eastern Long Island, New York, gusts could get almost as high, potentially downing tree limbs and power lines.
Transportation and Commerce Disrupted
More than 200 flights to and from airports in Boston, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and New York had been canceled Friday, and more cancellations were already in place for Saturday. Concerts were canceled, along with dozens of flights going into airports in Boston, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard on Friday and Saturday. Several airlines were offering to waive some change or cancellation fees for some East Coast flights through the weekend.
The Red Sox announced their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs would be adjusted. The team moved the Sunday afternoon game to Friday to create a split doubleheader. Separately, Ed Sheeran announced that his high-profile Friday and Saturday shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, would be canceled due to the storm.
The public ferry service connecting Cape Cod with the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard was experiencing widespread cancellations Friday due to strong winds and choppy water. In Rhode Island, ferries were also canceled for Block Island. The disrupted ferry service was expected to spill into Saturday.
For people who regularly travel to and from the islands, the possibility of getting stuck on one side or the other is "part of life," said Sean Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. Most people have backup plans in place for when boats are canceled. "It's a nuisance, but you know, we know what to do with this kind of stuff at this point," he said. "This is not out of the realm of ordinary."
Ashley Destino of Gloucester, a coastal city in northern Massachusetts, enjoyed a stroll along the beach with her two young children before preparing to hunker down at home during the storm. "We came to the beach on Friday afternoon because we knew we were going to be inside all weekend," said Destino, who had Legos and arts and crafts activities prepared to entertain her two children, ages 7 and 4. She also prepared by securing her boat with additional lines, and her husband pulled out a generator in case the electricity goes out.
Why This Matters:
The nor'easter's disruption of transportation networks and power infrastructure highlights the economic vulnerability of coastal communities to severe weather events. Thousands of power outages affect not just residential comfort but business operations, while hundreds of flight cancellations ripple through commerce and tourism. The cancellation of major events like Ed Sheeran's concerts at Gillette Stadium represents significant revenue losses for venues, vendors, and local businesses. For coastal New Jersey towns already managing regular flooding events, the prospect of Irene-scale flooding raises questions about the long-term viability of development in vulnerable areas and the fiscal burden of repeated emergency responses. Individual preparedness—residents securing boats, stocking generators, and maintaining backup plans—remains the first line of defense when government infrastructure reaches its limits.