(CNN) — A powerful nor’easter is about to bring bad weather to millions of people along the east coast, with high winds, drenching rain and dangerous seas expected this weekend and early next week.
The storm will cause major coastal flooding and beach erosion, in addition to heavy rain and potentially damaging winds. This disruptive weather will likely cause travel problems in the East and could be a nightmare for major airport hubs such as Washington, DC, New York City and Boston.
The nor’eas are expected to develop just offshore on Saturday along a stalled front over the Southeast and spread dangerous weather northeastward along the coast of the Carolinas through the weekend.
A nor’easter is just a coastal storm named based on the direction from which the wind hits the coast: northeast. Nor’easters are notorious snow producers in the winter, but they can occur at any time of year and produce heavy rain instead. They are most common between September and April and usually develop between Georgia and New Jersey. The strongest Nor’easters in July are also further burdened by global warming caused by fossil fuel pollution study found.
This nor’easter looks to pack a punch, and the area from North Carolina through New Jersey to the coast of southern New England will bear the brunt of the storm’s disruptions.
A state of emergency will go into effect for New Jersey on Saturday evening ahead of the worst effects of the storm, acting Governor Tahesha Way announced on Friday.
“I urge all New Jersey residents to exercise caution, monitor local weather forecasts and warnings, stay informed on evacuation protocols and stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary,” Way said in a statement.
After developing somewhere off the coast between Florida and South Carolina on Saturday, it will strengthen on Sunday as it hugs the North Carolina coast.
Up to a foot of rain could fall near the North Carolina coast, combined with wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. The nor’easter will also contribute to ongoing beach erosion on the state’s Outer Banks, where at least nine vacant homes have collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean since September 30 due to intense wave action and erosion from recent storms.
The disruptive weather will extend further north on Sunday and Monday, with several inches of rain possible along the rest of the Mid-Atlantic Coast and into southern New England. Localized flash flooding may occur in all areas hit multiple times by this drenching rain.
This rain will be accompanied by strong winds, with sustained gusts of 40 to 50 km/h possible. Winds will begin to pick up along the southeast coast on Friday and later reach maximums for much of the Mid-Atlantic coast Saturday through Sunday. Some of the strongest wind gusts for New Jersey and southern New England will occur Sunday through Monday, reaching 60 mph at times.
Power outages are possible as these strong winds batter coastal areas for days. They could also extend further inland into more densely populated areas.
Significant coastal flooding will also occur from the Outer Banks through the Northeast, with tides reaching just below the highest levels of the month this weekend. The combination of drenching rain and strong winds pushing water onshore will be powerful, with dozens of coastal areas from North Carolina to New York expected to reach moderate to major flood stage from this northeast.
According to the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey, coastal flooding in Delaware and New Jersey — especially in the southern part of the state — could become so severe that some roads become impassable and some structures become submerged.
Water levels could rise above 8 feet in Atlantic City, New Jersey – the highest since Sandy in 2012 – and enter major flood stage by Sunday afternoon. That’s enough to cause widespread flooding of roads in the area, with some neighborhoods potentially cut off by the water, police said. NOAA.
The nor’easter will also cause turbulent seas and generate rough surf that will make swimming dangerous along hundreds of miles of coastline.
After the storm moves away from the coast later Monday through Tuesday, the East could get a brief reprieve from the dreary weather. Then another round of unusual heat is expected to occur late next week.
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