Nor’easter Begins Tapering Off After 1 Death and Weekend of Flooding, Power Ourtages
A powerful Nor’easter storm with heavy rains and strong winds that took at least one life and flooded low-lying communities continued to menace the Mid-Atlantic and New England states today.
The National Weather Service said the storm will continue to bring coastal flooding, rip currents, strong wind gusts, and heavy rain to the region through this evening. It is expected to gradually weaken and move northeastward into the Gulf of Maine with the rain slowly tapering off by late Tuesday morning.
Coastal flood warnings were cancelled for southeastern New York, northeastern New Jersey, and the Massachusetts, including Cape Cod. However, from Virginia to Massachusetts, some roads and low lying properties including homes and businesses with basements near the waterfront could still experience minor flooding.
There has been one confirmed death. Leighton Brown, a New York City Housing Authority employee, was struck and killed by a falling tree amid heavy wind gusts in Brooklyn.
Utility companies have been working around the clock to restore power to customers and deal with downed trees and utility poles. Widespread outages were along the coast from New Jersey to Connecticut. As of 8:00 am ET, poweroutage.com reported that about 14,000 customers in the Mid-Atlantic and 12,000 in New England remained without power. New York’s Long Island has reported significant tree damage and damaged utility poles.
The storm has caused flooding and beach erosion in coastal communities, notably along the New Jersey shore including Sea Bright and Atlantic City and across Long Island. In Virginia, Norfolk closed its schools on Friday due to street flooding.
The strongest winds were recorded in Massachusetts coastal areas including gusts at or exceeding 90 mph in East Falmouth, Wellfleet, and Nantucket. Little Compton, Rhode Island, saw gusts up to 83 mph. The Jersey Shore recorded sustained high winds and severe tidal flooding, with Surf City reaching 74 mph.
Hundreds of flights were canceled, with Boston’s Logan Airport topping the list, and thousands of flights were delayed at New York’s LaGuardia, Newark International and Philadelphia International. Amtrak cancelled trains between New York City and Boston.
The storm prompted New York and New Jersey to declare states of emergency last Friday evening and activate emergency systems, equipment and personnel.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activated its regional operations centers to track the storm, coordinate federal interagency support and respond to potential state requests.
Bernard Dowd of Sea Bright, New Jersey told Associated Press that he got back from work to find his basement “filled up like a swimming pool.”
But, Dowd added, the situation could have been much worse in his community if it weren’t for rules requiring homeowners to raise the height of their houses. The rules were put in place in the wake of Sandy, which severely damaged the community almost 14 years ago.
Photo: Ted Friedli kayaks his way through a flooded section of Florence Ave. during a nor’easter in Long Branch, N.J., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026 (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)