Each autumn, the northeastern United States is reminded that its coastlines and communities exist in negotiation with the sea — and this weekend, a slow-moving nor'easter pressed that negotiation to its limits. Striking on Saturday with winds up to 65 miles per hour and relentless rain, the storm knocked out power to roughly 100,000 customers across New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware and New York, flooding streets and displacing residents from low-lying shores. Officials invoked the memory of Hurricane Irene as a measure of what was coming, and forecasters warned that the storm's patience — i
Powerful nor'easter batters US Northeast, leaving 100,000 without power
Residents evacuated from low-lying coastal areas; customers reported missing boats and watercraft; widespread displacement from flooding in multiple states.
An 8,000-pound boat worth $150,000, simply gone
Mark
Why does a nor'easter in late September hit so differently than one in, say, January?
Mimi
The trees are still fully leafed out. That's the key detail. In winter, branches are bare, so wind passes through. Right now, all that foliage acts like a sail, which means more limbs come down, which means more power lines go with them.
Luke
But that's a forecast concern, not something that's actually happened yet. The 100,000 without power—is that from downed lines, or is that preliminary, or is that expected by end of day?
Mimi
The reporting says about 100,000 customers were without electricity Saturday. It doesn't break down the cause in detail.
Mark
What strikes me about the Formica story is that he'd already been through Sandy. He knew what to do. And it still wasn't enough.
Mimi
Exactly. He moved equipment, parked vehicles on high ground, secured everything. And by morning, a $150,000 boat is gone anyway. It's the gap between preparation and what nature actually does.
Luke
The mayor of Sea Bright compared it to Hurricane Irene. But is that a technical assessment or a gut feeling? Because he actually says "I hope I'm wrong, but that's my gut feeling."
Mimi
It's explicitly his gut feeling. He's not a meteorologist. He's a mayor who's seen flooding before and thinks this will be worse.
Mark
So we don't actually know yet if it will be Irene-scale.
Luke
Right. We know tens of millions are in the path, we know the forecast, we know what's already happening—100,000 without power, boats missing, water in marinas. But the peak impacts are still coming.
Mimi
And that's the story—the waiting, the preparation, the bracing for something that hasn't fully arrived yet.
The Pulse
- A nor'easter stalled over the northeast with unusual persistence, battering coastlines with 65mph gusts and flooding that turned streets into waterways across four states.
- Some 100,000 households lost power by Saturday morning, and the storm's early-fall timing meant leaf-heavy trees were far more vulnerable to snapping, threatening to extend outages well beyond the storm itself.
- In Surf City, New Jersey, a marina owner watched helplessly via surveillance camera as floodwaters surrounded his equipment — a scene echoing Hurricane Sandy — while customers reported a 150,000-dollar boat simply swept away overnight.
- Officials in Sea Bright urged hundreds to evacuate, opened emergency shelters, and compared expected flooding to Hurricane Irene, while on Long Island some residents had already taken to kayaking down their own streets.
- The storm's disruption rippled far beyond weather: over 200 flights were canceled, a Red Sox game was rescheduled, and Ed Sheeran called off two major concerts at Gillette Stadium.
- Forecasters offered no near relief, warning of continued high winds, dangerous tides and heavy rain for days — a prolonged reckoning rather than a passing blow.
Each autumn, the northeastern United States is reminded that its coastlines and communities exist in negotiation with the sea — and this weekend, a slow-moving nor'easter pressed that negotiation to its limits. Striking on Saturday with winds up to 65 miles per hour and relentless rain, the storm knocked out power to roughly 100,000 customers across New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware and New York, flooding streets and displacing residents from low-lying shores. Officials invoked the memory of Hurricane Irene as a measure of what was coming, and forecasters warned that the storm's patience — its refusal to move on — would compound the damage for days. In the calculus of storms, it is often not the peak fury but the lingering presence that leaves the deepest mark.
A nor'easter settled over the northeastern United States on Saturday with slow, deliberate force, its high winds tearing at the region's electrical infrastructure while torrential rain and storm surge transformed coastal neighborhoods into temporary waterscapes. By morning, roughly 100,000 customers across New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware and New York had lost power, with tens of millions more in the storm's path through the weekend.
In Surf City, New Jersey, marina owner Kenny Formica watched through surveillance cameras as water crept steadily higher inside his building — a sight he hadn't seen since Hurricane Sandy, which once cost him more than four million dollars. Workers had secured dock lines and moved equipment to higher ground before the storm arrived, but by morning even the trucks and forklifts were nearly surrounded. Around 4 a.m., a customer sent video of a 25-foot, 8,000-pound boat — worth $150,000 — blown clean off its lift and gone.
In Sea Bright, New Jersey, Mayor Brian Kelly urged hundreds of residents in low-lying areas to evacuate, opening the town's recreation center as a shelter and warning of flooding that could reach six feet on some streets. He compared the expected conditions to Hurricane Irene. "I hope I'm wrong," he said, "but that's my gut feeling." On Long Island, some residents were already kayaking down flooded streets.
Forecasters warned the storm would intensify near the coast, with peak gusts of 60 to 65 miles per hour expected on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. A particular concern was the season: trees still carried their full canopy of autumn leaves, creating extra wind resistance and dramatically raising the risk of downed limbs, fallen power lines and prolonged outages.
The storm's reach extended well beyond weather. More than 200 flights were canceled across Boston and New York airports, airlines waived change fees through the weekend, the Boston Red Sox rescheduled a Sunday game, and Ed Sheeran canceled two high-profile concerts at Gillette Stadium. For millions across the region, the weekend had been fundamentally rearranged by wind and water — and forecasters made clear the reckoning was not yet finished.
A nor'easter settled over the northeastern United States on Saturday with the deliberate menace of a slow-moving system, its high winds systematically dismantling the region's electrical infrastructure while torrential rains and storm surge transformed coastal neighborhoods into temporary waterscapes. By Saturday morning, roughly 100,000 customers across New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware and New York had lost power. The storm was forecast to linger through the weekend, affecting tens of millions of people across the mid-Atlantic and New England.
In Surf City, New Jersey, Kenny Formica monitored his marina through surveillance cameras as water crept steadily higher inside the building—something he said happens rarely enough that the last time was during Hurricane Sandy, which cost his business more than four million dollars in damage. He had taken precautions before the storm arrived: workers had secured dock lines, moved equipment to safety, and parked trucks and forklifts on the property's highest ground. By morning, even those vehicles were nearly surrounded by rising water. Formica woke to messages from customers reporting missing boats and personal watercraft. One video, sent around 4 a.m., showed a 25-foot boat that had been blown off its lift—an 8,000-pound vessel worth $150,000, simply gone.
Coastal communities braced for the worst. In Sea Bright, New Jersey, Mayor Brian Kelly warned residents to prepare for winds approaching 50 miles per hour and flooding that could reach six feet on some streets. He urged hundreds of residents in low-lying areas to evacuate, opening the town's recreation center as a shelter. Kelly compared the expected flooding to Hurricane Irene, the 2011 storm that caused major damage across the region. "I hope I'm wrong," he said, "but that's my gut feeling." In Ocean City, Maryland, heavy surf was already eroding beaches, washing out dune fencing and sending water into residential backyards along the canals. On Long Island, some residents were kayaking down flooded streets.
Forecasters offered little comfort. Bob Oravec, the lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, said the region should expect "a lot of high winds, a lot of high tides and heavy rain over the next few days." Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton, Massachusetts, explained that the storm's impact would intensify closer to the coast, with peak gusts expected to reach 60 to 65 miles per hour on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket on Friday night and Saturday, about 50 to 55 miles per hour around Boston, and 35 to 40 miles per hour farther inland. Along the Atlantic coasts of New Jersey and Delaware, gusts could reach 60 miles per hour.
One particular concern shaped forecasters' warnings: it was still early in the fall season, and trees across the region still carried their full canopy of leaves. That extra foliage created additional wind resistance, increasing the likelihood of downed limbs and branches. Those fallen trees would in turn bring down power lines and scatter debris across roads, potentially extending the power outages and complicating recovery efforts for days.
The storm's reach extended beyond weather and water. More than 200 flights to and from Boston, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and New York airports were canceled on Friday, with additional cancellations already scheduled for Saturday. Airlines began waiving change and cancellation fees for east coast flights through the weekend. The Boston Red Sox moved their Sunday afternoon game against the Chicago Cubs to Friday to create a split double-header. Ed Sheeran canceled his high-profile Friday and Saturday concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The weekend, for millions across the region, had been fundamentally rearranged by wind and water.
Notable Quotes
This is like an 8,000lb boat and a $150,000 boat – just gone.— Kenny Formica, marina owner in Surf City, New Jersey
It's going to be worse than average. I think this one will be closer to an Irene-scale flooding event. I hope I'm wrong, but that's my gut feeling.— Brian Kelly, mayor of Sea Bright, New Jersey
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