Nor’easter Threatens East Coast With Days of Coastal Flooding and Pounding Surf
A slow moving nor’easter is developing off the North Carolina coast, setting up days of coastal flooding, gusty winds and pounding surf from the Outer Banks to New Jersey, with the worst impacts expected from Tuesday into Wednesday.
A long duration battering
The nor’easter is forming off the North Carolina coast along the strong cold front that pushed through on Saturday, according to FOX Weather. A combination of lowering pressure offshore and a strong high pressure system over the Midwest is squeezing the air, driving strong northeast winds from North Carolina to New Jersey.
The storm is forecast to strengthen and stall or drift, holding strong onshore winds through multiple high tide cycles. Coastal flood warnings and advisories stretch from Long Island, New York, to North Carolina. In coastal North Carolina and Virginia, 1 to 4 feet of inundation is possible, with gusts of 45 to 50 mph and waves up to 15 feet, according to the National Weather Service and weather.com.
The National Hurricane Center has highlighted the system as an area to watch for possible tropical development, but forecasters say the impacts will be the same regardless of what it is called. The worst of the battering is expected on the Outer Banks, where beach erosion and flooded roads are likely. The storm should peak late Tuesday and keep influencing the weather into Thursday.
What to watch
The Atlantic threat arrives as another storm, Trudy, menaces Mexico’s Pacific coast with up to 15 inches of rain, a reminder that October is keeping both coasts of the continent busy. The hemisphere has already endured a bruising disaster stretch this month, with a 7.7 magnitude earthquake rocking Panama.
Forecasters say this nor’easter should not be as strong as the late September storm, but it could linger longer, so the cumulative flooding and erosion may be worse. Residents from the Delmarva Peninsula to eastern North Carolina should stay alert to local advisories through the middle of the week.
