Early-Season Nor'easter Kills One, Cuts Power Across Northeast

A powerful, slow-moving nor'easter crept along the US Northeast coast starting Saturday, September 26, 2026, bringing flooding, high winds and widespread power outages to New York, New Jersey and New England, and killing at least one person.¹⁷

Flooding and wind

The storm brought coastal flood warnings from New Jersey to Massachusetts, with waves expected as high as 20 feet and wind gusts along the coast reaching up to 60 miles per hour over the weekend.⁴¹⁶

Meteorologists recorded gusts over 70 miles per hour in several spots, including 74 mph in Surf City, New Jersey, 81 mph at Montauk Point, New York, and a 56 mph gust at JFK Airport in New York City. A gust of 58 mph atop Great Blue Hill in Massachusetts broke a 1977 record of 54 mph, while gusts of 70 and 71 mph were recorded on Cape Cod and Block Island.⁵²

A full moon on Saturday raised tides further, worsening coastal flooding, according to Weather.com. By Saturday afternoon, high tide had pushed 25 river gauges into major flood stage.⁵

Atlantic City, New Jersey, saw water levels that, according to CBS News, had not been matched since Hurricane Sandy. Ocean City, Maryland, suffered beach erosion and washed-out dune fencing from heavy surf.¹³

Death and rescues

A 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority employee died in Brooklyn after a tree collapsed on him, multiple outlets reported.¹⁶³²

CBS News reported that rescuers pulled nine adults and a dog to safety from motel rooms flooded in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. In Wareham, Massachusetts, resident Sue Mastria was uninjured after a tree fell on her house overnight, totaling her car. "I could have been killed, so thank God!" she said.¹²

Power and travel disruption

CBS News reported that the storm's peak left about 100,000 customers in the region without electricity, though other outlets gave different totals; Reuters put the number at nearly 80,000 outages spanning New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts, a figure other reports called into question. By Sunday morning, Massachusetts alone reported 11,705 customers without power, with more than 40,000 outages across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut combined.¹⁹²

More than 1,000 flights were canceled Saturday, with thousands more delayed. Boston Logan International Airport alone saw 270 cancellations and 220 delays by Sunday, after FlightAware recorded 260 cancellations there Saturday evening. The vast majority of flights at Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket were also canceled.⁹²¹³

Amtrak canceled at least half a dozen trains because of downed wires and high winds. "Customers traveling today should be prepared for potential delays as a nor'easter continues to bring strong winds and heavy rain across portions of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast," the rail operator said.²⁴

Ferries were halted in the Cape Cod and Rhode Island areas, and ocean overwash forced authorities to shut down a 16-mile section of North Carolina's Highway 12 on the Outer Banks in both directions.⁴⁵

Several public events were canceled or moved, including Maryland's Oceans Calling music festival, an Ed Sheeran concert at Gillette Stadium, a New Jersey AC/DC concert, an Ironman triathlon in New York, and New York's Global Citizens Festival and All Things Go events. The Boston Red Sox played a doubleheader against the Chicago Cubs on Friday to avoid the storm, and their remaining game was rescheduled to Sunday in Tampa, Florida.¹⁴

Official response

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill placed eight counties under a state of emergency and cautioned residents as tides climbed. "This storm is not over," she said, adding that officials were closely watching that night's high tide and urging residents to stay alert and follow local guidance.⁷

New York Governor Kathy Hochul similarly cautioned about incoming coastal flooding and heavy rainfall, and the National Weather Service told residents in low-lying areas to "prepare immediately for significant inundation." In Manasquan, New Jersey, beachfront residents were asked to evacuate voluntarily.⁷

In Weymouth, Massachusetts, local official Michael Molisse said conditions had "worsened significantly overnight, with strong winds and heavy rain causing trees and wires to come down," adding that "several roads are currently impassable."²

Storm outlook

According to CBS News, the storm was projected to veer sharply back toward New Jersey's coastline by Sunday, potentially stalling or looping near the area through Monday before finally exiting on Tuesday. Weather.com projected the nor'easter would keep affecting the East Coast through Monday before conditions gradually improved.¹⁵

Climate scientist Chris Gloninger linked the storm's intensity to warmer ocean water. "The ocean water feeding this system was so warm that climate change made it about 40 times more likely, and that extra heat and moisture is what helps supercharge a storm like this one," he said, adding that "nor'easters have always happened, but they're just getting more fuel."²