Since this morning, the east coast of the United States has been facing the blow of the unusual winter storm Nor'easter. Several counties in the northeast of the country, in New York and New Jersey, have declared a state of emergency due to the virulence of the storm that is expected to leave hurricane-force winds, torrential rains and cause flooding in its wake.
The storm has already hit much of the east coast since this morning with wind gusts exceeding 80 kilometers per hour. The storm moves to the New Jersey coast, increasing the risk of flooding. Authorities warn that heavy rain could flood roads and endanger vulnerable homes and businesses. Some mayors have advised their neighbors living in lower areas of the coast to move to higher ground due to the danger of flooding.
Bad weather is affecting travel on the East Coast. Airlines have already canceled more than 370 flights, according to flight tracker FlightAware. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned of delays at major airports in the Northeast. The airport most affected by cancellations and delays is Boston, but the storm is also interfering with operations at the Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard airfields.
Airlines have warned travelers to be alert to inclement weather because cancellations may increase. In addition, they have exempted customers from the cost of changing flights. The storm has also forced authorities to suspend several concerts and public events in counties on the East Coast.
Nearly 70,000 people are suffering power outages due to the ravages of the storm as it passes through the east of the country, according to Poweroutage.com, which has recorded incidents in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island.
Flood risk
The nor'easter phenomenon intensified during the early hours of this Saturday and is now at its maximum intensity off the northeast coast. It is raining across the entire land area of North America next to the Atlantic Ocean. Light to moderate rainfall is reported from Boston to New York City and Philadelphia. The storm is expected to become more virulent in the coming hours.
The rise in tides at this time, due to lunar cycles, is aggravating the situation. Coastal areas of New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area could experience severe flooding in one of the most densely populated areas in the country. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has issued an alert due to the risk of flooding.
A nor'easter storm is a weather phenomenon that moves along the east coast of the United States and produces northeasterly winds over land. It is formed in the Atlantic, less than 100 miles (about 160 kilometers) from the coast, between New Jersey and Georgia, when cold air masses from Canada interact with the relatively warm waters of the ocean due to the currents of the Gulf of Mexico, favoring the formation of a low pressure system. Nor'easters can occur at any time of the year, but are especially common during the winter season. Therefore, its emergence so early is unusual. Its effects can be devastating. They include strong winds, torrential rain, snow and flooding.
Cancellations of flights and concerts
The National Weather Service issued an advisory Friday afternoon warning that the storm would spread along the New Jersey coast and move north toward Long Island over the weekend before turning northeast early next week.
The federal weather agency has issued several coastal flood watches through Sunday night for areas of northeastern New Jersey, southeastern New York and coastal Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and Nantucket, where flash flooding could occur throughout coastal Massachusetts. Authorities warn that flooding could reach up to one meter in areas of New Jersey and New York. They expect the water level to peak this Saturday morning.
The authorities have advised suspending most public events and concerts scheduled for this weekend in the area. The organizers of the Ed Sheeran concerts scheduled for this weekend at Gillette Stadium have decided to suspend them "after consultation with local authorities, the promoter and the tour", due to the adverse and dangerous weather conditions expected for the entire weekend.
Several music festivals have also been canceled due to the nor'easter storm. Among them was Maryland's Oceans Calling festival, which was scheduled throughout the weekend in Ocean City; the Global Citizen festival, scheduled for Saturday in Central Park; and the All Things Go festival in Forest Hills, New York.
