Powerful storm floods US Northeast, causes power outages

A nor'easter lashed the U.S. Northeast over the weekend, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous surf from New Jersey into New England. Tidal surges flooded low-lying neighborhoods, including parts of Howard Beach in Queens and coastal communities in New Jersey, where residents reported inundation levels not seen in nearly a decade in some locations. Images from the shoreline showed waves crashing over sea walls and onto beaches, raising concerns about coastal erosion. The slow-moving system toppled trees and utility poles on Long Island and elsewhere, and a New York City housing authority worker was killed on Saturday when a tree fell. PowerOutage.us reported that more than 100,000 customers were without electricity at times across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, with the most widespread outages concentrated in coastal counties from New Jersey to Connecticut. The storm delivered extreme rainfall in places—over 10 cm (4 inches) in parts of New Jersey since Friday—which, combined with a surging ocean, produced unusually high flooding. Wind gusts reached about 64 km/h (40 mph) in the Boston area, contributing to damage and travel disruption; by late Sunday morning more than 250 flights had been cancelled at Boston Logan International Airport, according to the Massachusetts Port Authority. Forecasters expected the worst remaining rainfall from northern New Jersey into southern New England and said tidal flooding would persist through high-tide cycles on Sunday night. Officials and residents noted the nor'easter recalled memories of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, though authorities said the current storm's impacts were far less severe. Meteorologists also cautioned it could be the first of several storm systems along the East Coast this fall amid an El Niño climate pattern.