Rare Nor’easter Slams East Coast Through Weekend
The first nor’easter of the fall season began battering the U.S. East Coast on Friday, September 25, 2026, threatening tens of millions of people from Virginia to New England with high winds, heavy rain and coastal flooding that forecasters say will persist through the weekend and into Monday.
Coastal flood alerts were in effect for 33 million people as of Friday morning, spanning the coast from Rhode Island to Virginia, according to NBC News. Forecasters told The Guardian that as many as 40 million people across multiple states could ultimately be affected by the early-season storm.
An Unusual Storm for September
A nor’easter is defined by winds blowing in from the northeast, typically the result of a low-pressure system parked just off the Atlantic coast. Such storms are most often associated with late-fall and winter blizzards — not the middle of autumn’s first month.
“You might think it is too early for a nor’easter, but the criteria for a nor’easter are met more often than you would think,” the Weather Channel explained. “Most people usually think of snow and ice with nor’easters” because they tend to occur in the late fall and winter — but this system is arriving early enough that it is delivering all rain, no snow.
The storm is unfolding during a record-setting El Niño that has amplified severe weather around the globe. That same pattern has produced 18 named storms in the Pacific basin this season while, for the first time since 1914, no Atlantic hurricanes had formed by September 21.
Winds, Rain and Flooding Warnings
Wind gusts of up to 65 mph are forecast, with the strongest winds expected through Saturday night on Long Island and across New England. AccuWeather projected gusts as high as 80 mph near Montauk, New York, and 40 to 60 mph along the coast from New Jersey to Maine, the Guardian reported. High wind warnings were in effect for Boston, Providence and the coasts of Delaware and New Jersey, where gusts could reach 60 mph through Saturday night.
Rainfall is expected to be substantial and prolonged. Widespread totals of 1 to 3 inches are forecast from the Interstate 95 corridor to the coast, with heavy rain bands of 4 to 6 inches arriving Saturday into Sunday. The Guardian reported that up to 8 inches could fall in parts of southeastern Massachusetts, while the Boston Herald forecast 3 to 4 inches for the Boston region.
Waves of 10 to 18 feet are expected along the coast, with coastal inundation of 1 to 4 feet, NBC News reported. In outer waters off Massachusetts and Rhode Island, seas could reach as high as 20 feet, according to the Boston Herald.
Officials Warn Residents to Prepare
Emergency officials from New Jersey to Massachusetts urged residents to treat the storm with the seriousness usually reserved for a tropical system.
“The waves, the wave actions, the way it comes in, it just takes everything in its path,” said Mike Jones, emergency management director for Upper Township, New Jersey, in comments carried by NBC News. “And there’s really no way to stop Mother Nature.”
In Boston, officials issued a coastal storm warning. “Coastal storms can bring rapid changes in tides and weather, leading to flooding, downed trees, power outages and beach erosion,” said Brooke Amendola, the city’s director of Emergency Preparedness. “We are urging everyone in coastal and low-lying areas to prepare now.”
Mayor Michelle Wu urged residents to “take all necessary precautions to stay indoors and safe,” noting that a storm of this kind is rare for September. Brian Swett, the city’s Chief Climate Officer, said “it is critical to know your home or business’ risk of flooding,” pointing to the added threat posed by climate change and sea level rise.
The Boston Water and Sewer Commission said it was planning for a “long duration event, 72–96 hours,” according to Chief of Operations Chase Berkeley.
Southeastern New England faces the highest risk of power outages, NBC News reported, because of the strongest wind potential and top-heavy trees that are still holding their leaves. Soaked ground from recent rains in the region will only heighten the threat of falling trees and flooding, AccuWeather expert meteorologist Elizabeth Danco told the Guardian.
“The nor’easter has strengthened over the Atlantic and is expected to stay closer to the shoreline,” Danco said. “This will bring more rain inland, but more importantly stronger winds closer to shore.”
Travel, Events and Daily Life Disrupted
Airlines including American, JetBlue, Southwest and United issued waivers offering flexibility to travelers whose plans could be affected along the East Coast, USA Today reported. Delays were most likely at Boston-Logan and possible at New York City’s three major airports.
The storm forced a series of cancellations and schedule changes. The first day of Maryland’s Oceans Calling music festival was canceled in advance as abnormally high tides inundated roads along the Potomac. A 16-mile stretch of North Carolina Highway 12 on the Outer Banks closed in both directions due to ocean overwash, and Ed Sheeran’s weekend concerts at Gillette Stadium were called off.
Major League Baseball also adjusted, with the Red Sox-Cubs and Yankees-Orioles series pushed into doubleheaders.
A Full Moon and a Pacific Threat
The timing of the storm is worsening its coastal impacts. Saturday’s full moon is expected to lift tides by up to 5 to 6 inches, boosting some of the month’s highest astronomical tides and amplifying flooding at high tide.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Hurricane Nolo was barreling toward Hawaii’s Big Island with 80 mph winds as a Category 1 storm, expected to strengthen into a major Category 3 or 4 hurricane over the weekend. Though forecast to pass south of the islands, Nolo is expected to bring up to 30 inches of rain to the Big Island, raising fears of catastrophic flooding and mudslides. Just last month, Hurricane Lala damaged more than 100 homes on the Big Island.
Two other Pacific hurricanes — Polo, a Category 5 off Mexico, and Odalys, a Category 4 remaining at sea — were also active, underscoring the unusually busy state of the Pacific basin.
What to Watch
Forecasters expect the nor’easter to intensify as it moves north and come onshore around New Jersey, with conditions deteriorating through Friday before peaking on Saturday, the windiest day of the event. The system should weaken on Sunday, though rain and gusty winds will linger over the mid-Atlantic and New England. By Monday, the storm will still be spinning just off the coast — weaker, but still capable of delivering rain, beach erosion, travel delays and power outages.
“This storm may be remembered for its destructive coastal flooding and severe beach erosion, especially along eastern Long Island and the Massachusetts coast,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter told USA Today.
Residents along the coast are being urged to prepare as they would for a tropical storm, to avoid flood waters, and to report downed power lines. For millions along the Eastern Seaboard, the first weekend of fall will be spent not outdoors, but watching the water rise.