New York’s Nor’easter Threat Grows with Volatile Storm Track | Today’s news

(Bloomberg) — A powerful coastal storm battering the East Coast threatens New York City with damaging winds and flooding in five boroughs through Sunday.

According to the US National Weather Service, up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain is expected to fall in the area starting late Friday, with winds gusting to 50 miles per hour in Manhattan. The North American Easter is already whipping up large swells from the Mid-Atlantic to Maine, but the risk for New York is increasing according to the latest forecasts, said Weather Service meteorologist Jay Engle.

As the storm’s track shifted, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for eight counties encompassing the city and suburbs.

“We expect dangerous coastal flooding, high winds and potential power outages over the weekend,” Hochul said in a statement. “Take this storm seriously.

Meanwhile, city workers were bracing for downed trees and clogged catch basins in anticipation of flooding, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement.

The most severe flooding along the New York coast is expected Saturday morning, Engle said, when up to 2 feet of water could wash ashore at high tide. That tide is expected to be higher than usual because of Saturday’s full moon, known as the “Harvest Moon.”

According to FlightAware, 226 flights across the US were canceled as of 4:20 p.m. New York time, mostly at Boston’s Logan International Airport and other airports around Massachusetts.

Ferry service between downtown Boston and communities to the north and south was canceled in anticipation of high winds and significant waves. On Thursday, crowds of Nantucket ferry commuters struggled to get off the island, prompting police to be called to deal with disputes over people taking turns in line.

Pop star Ed Sheeran’s two concerts at Gillette Stadium outside Boston have been canceled this weekend. The shows were overshadowed by controversy earlier this month after stadium owner Robert Kraft forced Sheeran to drop Macklemore’s opening act due to the rapper’s pro-Palestinian comments at a concert in New Jersey.

Other cancellations related to the storm included the Global Citizens Festival in Central Park, which was expected to attract 50,000 people, and All Things Go NYC at Forest Hills Stadium.

–With assistance from Brooke Sutherland, Greg Ryan and Brian K. Sullivan.

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