Seabright, New Jersey – A storm that hasn’t been named yet is likely to bring flooding to the East Coast, spanning from South Carolina to New Jersey, along with strong winds hitting New York City this weekend.
New Jersey has declared a state of emergency as residents stay vigilant about the approaching nor’easter, which poses risks of flooding and power outages.
A nor’easter is defined as a storm forming within 100 miles of the East Coast, typically with winds coming from the northeast. The National Weather Service notes that while these storms mainly happen from September to April, they can occur at any time.
This storm is expected to bring heavy rain, snow, strong winds, and flooding. The National Weather Service has pointed out that these types of storms can lead to billions of dollars in damage.
Recently, an unnamed storm resulted in flooding in Charleston, South Carolina, where seawater caused 30 road closures, with water levels rising significantly before subsiding. On Friday morning, the high tide reached 8.46 feet (2.58 meters), ranking as the 13th highest tide in over a century of records at Charleston Harbor.
The tides also led to road closures in parts of Georgia and Florida for several hours.
Forecasters are predicting significant issues along North Carolina’s Outer Banks this weekend due to sustained strong winds from the unnamed storm and unusually high king tides, which occur when the moon is closer to Earth than usual. Last month, ten homes saw their dunes destroyed.
In Seabright, local officials are busy filling about 500 sandbags for residents to pick up. Preparations include getting rescue equipment, like pontoon boats, ready for potential high water situations and organizing evacuation trucks.
The storm is expected to move north this weekend, affecting areas from Florida all the way through the Columbus Day holiday on Monday. Residents along the Delaware and New Jersey coasts are being advised to brace for significant coastal flooding.
High wind warnings are in place for parts of New York City and Long Island, with gusts potentially reaching up to 95 km/h on Sunday.
The most severe conditions are anticipated on Sunday afternoon.
