A slow-moving nor’easter threatening the East Coast could bring strong winds, coastal flooding, dangerous surf and beach erosion to multiple states through Thursday.
A forecast map shared with Newsweek on Tuesday showed a stretch of coastline from North Carolina to Massachusetts as at risk of “moderate to strong” winds, as well as coastal flooding and beach erosion. The storm is expected to move gradually northward offshore, and forecasters at AccuWeather said it could acquire tropical or subtropical characteristics while passing over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.
As of Tuesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) had issued coastal flood warnings for parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.
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What Forecasts Say
The storm’s center would shift from waters off the Carolinas toward the mid-Atlantic, southern New York and New England, allowing coastal hazards to spread farther north through the latter part of the week, according to AccuWeather. It said that much of the storm’s moisture would mostly remain offshore, with coastal communities facing the most noticeable effects while many inland areas remain dry.
According to AccuWeather, the strongest winds from Morehead City, North Carolina, to Atlantic City, New Jersey, were expected through Tuesday. Gusts in that area could reach between 40 and 60 mph, with an isolated maximum of 70 mph possible. It forecast “breezy” conditions to develop farther north later in the week along the remainder of coastal New Jersey, Long Island, southern Rhode Island and Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
Fox Weather also forecast several days of hazardous conditions, saying the most severe impacts would continue through late Wednesday and into Thursday. It said the most pronounced flooding threat extended from the Outer Banks through Chesapeake Bay and toward Ocean City, Maryland, where water could rise more than 2 feet above normal around high tide.
Forecasters also said there is a chance that the system could briefly become a subtropical or tropical storm.
“AccuWeather gives the area of low pressure off the East Coast a moderate chance to acquire tropical or subtropical characteristics over the next few days,” Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert, told Newsweek. “I think it would most likely be sub-tropical, however a fully tropical system cannot be ruled out. Even if the storm becomes subtropical, the NHC can still give it a name.”
DaSilva explained that tropical systems draw their energy from warm ocean waters, while subtropical systems are fueled by both warm waters and the jet stream.
“It is not unusual to get a nor'easter in October to try and gain tropical or sub-tropical characteristics," he said. "The nor'easter a few weeks ago got very close to achieving this. Water temperatures along the Gulf Stream are still very warm this time of year and are still able to give substantial energy to these storms.
“Regardless of development, there can be coastal flooding, dangerous surf and beach erosion this week along the mid-Atlantic coast.”
What Is a Nor’easter?
The NWS explained that a nor'easter is a storm along the East Coast of North America where winds over coastal regions usually come from the northeast. These storms can form at any time of year but are most common and powerful between September and April.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson and Dave Siminoff.