One dead, hundreds of flights canceled, power lines down as ‘Nor’easter’ storm batters parts of US: What we know so far | Today’s news
One person died and tens of thousands were left without power as heavy rain and strong winds lashed the northeastern United States on Saturday.
New York, Boston and Philadelphia were all in the firing line of the “Nor’easter” – so named for its northeasterly winds – as authorities warned of potential major flooding and road closures, AFP reported.
The storm continued to bring rain through Saturday afternoon “along the northern Mid-Atlantic coast and southern New England,” the National Weather Service said in its latest forecast.
The storm was expected to move toward New Jersey and Long Island “by tonight, leading to the full force of this nor’easter” to hit the region by Sunday morning, forecasters said.
Additionally, “major coastal flooding is expected along the Mid-Atlantic coast during several tidal cycles originating from the full moon over the weekend,” the NWS said.
“Conditions are extremely dangerous”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned of “extremely dangerous” conditions as storms hit coastal areas of New York City and Long Island on Saturday.
“The conditions are extremely dangerous. Anyone who enters or approaches the water over the weekend is literally gambling with their life,” Hochul said at a press briefing.
A 56-year-old man was killed in Brooklyn when the wind blew down a tree that hit him, US media reported.
More than 60,000 customers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania were without power as of 6:00 p.m. (01:00 GMT) on Saturday, according to monitoring tool poweroutage.com.
Up to six inches (15 centimeters) of rain is expected on Long Island over the next few days. “We are expecting waves up to 20 feet (six meters) high in some areas,” Hochul said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned residents of the country’s most populous city against strong gusts of wind and the possibility of downed power lines. “Don’t travel unless you have to,” he said.
Hundreds of canceled flights
Hundreds of flights were canceled due to Saturday’s storm, according to tracker Flight Aware. As many as 253 flights were canceled at Boston’s Logan Airport alone, and continued delays were reported across the region.
Major airlines including JetBlue, United and American issued travel advisories that allowed passengers to change flights without being charged.
The United Nations, where world leaders gathered for the organization’s General Assembly, called on media covering the event to clear broadcasting equipment outside the New York headquarters due to strong winds.
“Safety must come first”
Major cultural events have also been cancelled, including the Global Citizen and All Things Go festivals in New York and Oceans Calling in Maryland.
“Safety must come first. This is the first time in 14 years that we’ve had to cancel,” said organizers of the Global Citizen event in Central Park, which was scheduled to feature Lenny Kravitz, Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and country stars Lainey Wilson and Shaboozey.
About five inches of rain – the equivalent of more than a month’s rainfall – was forecast for areas of Massachusetts including Boston.
After much uproar over his tour, British pop singer Ed Sheeran’s weekend concerts near Boston were canceled due to a storm that produced 70 mile (113 kilometer) hour wind gusts along the New England coast.
Some coastal areas of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey have already experienced flooding this week.
Northern Easters can occur throughout the year, but are more common between autumn and early spring. They are almost always accompanied by heavy rain or snow, as well as strong gusts of wind.
Earlier this year, the Northeast Easter disrupted hundreds of flights and left thousands of homes and businesses without power.
The storm came weeks after the region recovered from a devastating winter weather system that was linked to more than 100 deaths.