A powerful nor'easter swept into the East Coast early Saturday, arriving with a combination of high winds, driving rain and the threat of coastal flooding that had already knocked out electricity for thousands of households and forced airlines to cancel hundreds of flights. The storm, which began battering the region in the predawn hours, is expected to keep battering it through the weekend, with forecasters warning of sustained severe conditions from the mid-Atlantic all the way north to the coast of Maine.
The storm's reach was enormous. Tens of millions of people from the mid-Atlantic through the coast of Maine were reported to be in the path of the system, a span of coastline that includes some of the country's most densely populated and most heavily developed shoreline in the United States. The National Weather Service issued warnings covering a wide swath of coastal and inland areas, with the most acute impacts expected along exposed beaches, harbor towns and barrier islands where winds funnel off the Atlantic and water piles up ahead of the storm.
Early reports from the hardest-hit communities described a familiar progression of nor'easter impacts: trees down across roadways, illuminated signs and debris in downtown corridors, and rising water in low-lying streets just a block or two back from the ocean. In one scene captured Friday as the storm was still gathering strength, John Garrisi and Gaige Graf moved an outdoor table away from the shorefront, one of a series of small but telling precautions taken by residents bracing for the weekend's worst weather. The photograph, by Robert F. Bukaty of The Associated Press, captured the calm-before-the-storm ritual that plays out in coastal communities every time a powerful storm approaches.
Thousands of people were without power across the region, with outages reported in multiple states stretching from the mid-Atlantic to New England. Utility crews were expected to face a difficult restoration effort, particularly in areas where the combination of saturated ground, high winds and widespread tree damage complicate repairs. Electricity is the kind of infrastructure failure that quickly cascades: traffic signals go dark, water systems lose pressure, and residents who rely on powered medical equipment are among those most in need of timely restoration.
Air travel was hit hard as well. Hundreds of flights were cancelled, with the largest effects concentrated at major East Coast hubs, where arriving and departing aircraft were held or turned back and deicing and ground-handling operations were curtailed by the weather. The cancellations are likely to ripple well beyond the Northeast on Sunday, as stranded passengers rebook on later flights and aircraft and crews work their way back into position.
Meteorologists describe nor'easters by their unusual geography: storms that intensify as they spin counterclockwise off the coast of Nova Scotia, driving wind — often north or northeast — directly onshore. That onshore push, combined with a slow-moving storm that keeps the same waters hammering the same shoreline for hours, is what produces the combination of wind damage, storm surge and coastal flooding that defines the storm type. September nor'easters are less common than the classic late-fall and winter events, which arrive with colder air and are often snow-and-ice events; a September storm of this strength, arriving with rain and warm-season flooding risks rather than winter precipitation, can be particularly dangerous precisely because it arrives outside the season when communities and residents are most conditioned for it.
The coastal hazards extend beyond the water that crashes over seawalls. Storm surge, rip currents and rapid erosion can reshape beaches even when the surge itself does not overtop them, and drowned roads and culverts in beach communities can strand residents who have not evacuated. Emergency managers in coastal New England and the mid-Atlantic have urged residents to move valuables above ground level, keep emergency kits stocked with flashlights, batteries and drinking water, and treat any floodwater of unknown depth as a serious danger.
At the other end of the country, a separate weather threat is unfolding. Hurricane Nolo, described as a zig-zagging storm, is threatening Hawaii with dangerous flooding rains. A satellite image captured Friday showed the system approaching the islands; forecasters expect it to avoid making landfall as it strengthens, but they warn that the real danger lies not in the eye crossing the coastline but in the deluge of rain that could accompany it. Slow-moving or meandering tropical systems can stall over steep island terrain, where moisture funnels upslope and races down ravines, quickly overwhelming streams, roads and drainage systems.
Hawaii's vulnerability to tropical rain is well documented: the islands' steep topography compresses enormous amounts of moisture into a very small area, and communities in valleys and along streams can see floodwaters rise with little warning. Authorities there have advised residents to secure belongings above ground level, stay clear of streams and gullies, and prepare for extended power interruptions as heavy rain and gusty winds arrive.
Two major weather stories, thousands of miles apart, are dominating the weekend forecast. On the East Coast, forecasters expect significant winds and rain to persist through the weekend as the nor'easter slowly moves away but keeps its grip on the region. In Hawaii, Nolo's zigzag track keeps the islands in play for days. For the East Coast, the immediate priorities are restoring power, reopening airports and watching the tide line through the next several high-tide cycles.
The story was reported by Ava Berger and Scott Simon for NPR and was heard on Weekend Edition Saturday. This article was updated at 12:43 p.m. ET Saturday, September 26, and was originally published at 7:38 a.m. ET.
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