New York and New Jersey in the United States declared a state of emergency on Friday (25th) in preparation for an incoming “Nor’easter” storm. The storm, predicted to affect residents of the Mid-Atlantic region along the Atlantic coast with flooding and power outages, is expected to span the entire weekend from the 25th to the 27th.
The Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, cautioned about the approaching “Nor’easter” in a video posted on social media on Friday afternoon. “We want everyone to stay vigilant. From now until early Monday, this will be a significant storm with heavy rainfall and severe flooding,” she stated.
Counties such as Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and New York City are all included in the emergency declaration of New York State, anticipating that these areas will bear the brunt of the storm’s impact.
In New Jersey, Governor Mikie Sherrill announced that the eight counties expected to be most severely affected by the storm will also be placed under a state of emergency.
According to the forecast from the National Weather Service, from Friday through Saturday, dangerous flooding is expected along the Mid-Atlantic coast, particularly near New Jersey and Delaware.
Brian Hurley, a senior forecaster at the Weather Prediction Center of the National Weather Service, mentioned that the areas with the heaviest rainfall could be the coastal regions of New Jersey, Long Island, all the way to the eastern parts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He added that the storm is expected to weaken later on Saturday.
This powerful Nor’easter is currently making its way towards the Northeastern region of the United States, intensifying on Friday and causing strong winds and huge waves along the East Coast.
Meteorologist Matthew Belk from the National Weather Service in Norton, Massachusetts, stated that on Friday night and Saturday, peak gusts in areas like Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket could reach speeds of 60 to 65 miles per hour (97 to 105 kilometers per hour), while gusts near Boston are expected to be around 50 to 55 miles per hour (80 to 89 kilometers per hour).
Tens of millions of people are in the storm’s path, leading to the cancellation of multiple events and prompting residents on islands near Cape Cod, Massachusetts to evacuate to the mainland days before the Nor’easter’s arrival.