New York City: What to expect from the major nor'easter this weekend

Events have been canceled across the city as the first nor'easter of the season bares down on the region. Power outages and travel disruptions could persist into the new week.

The first nor'easter of the season will have major impacts across the New York City area, unleashing impacts similar to those of a tropical storm.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared a State of Emergency for Nassau, Suffolk, New York City and Westchester ahead of the biggest impacts. A State of Emergency was also in effect for much of the New Jersey coastal counties.

"This will be a long-duration event through multiple tide cycles well into this weekend, leading to major coastal flooding and beach erosion as well as strong winds pushing on trees for a longer period of time," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said. "Expect not only coastal inundation from storm surge, but also areas of urban flooding away from the coast, as well as regional power outages."

Outdoor events across the metropolitan area have already been canceled or altered due to the storm. Saturday's baseball game between Baltimore and New York was moved to Friday as part of a doubleheader to avoid the worst of the impending weather. The Global Citizens Festival scheduled for Saturday at the Great Lawn in Central Park was canceled, along with the 2026 Hamptons Marathon.

New York City

New York City’s worst conditions are expected through Sunday morning, when wind gusts of 40-50 mph and 2-4 inches of rain could complicate travel. Higher winds and heavier rain are expected in areas farther south and east, including on Long Island and along the Jersey Coast.

Gusty winds could bring down tree limbs and cause scattered power outages, while rain could lead to ponding on roads.

Storm surge at the coast is forecast to reach 1-3 feet for many areas, but will differ across the five boroughs based on wind direction and geography.

Storm surge is likely to exceed 3 feet along portions of Long Island Sound, including in eastern-facing coasts of the Bronx and the northern-facing coasts of Queens. At Kings Point, New York, the high tides at 11 a.m. Sunday, local time, will bring some of the highest water levels.

Similar water levels across multiple high-tide cycles are predicted along the east-facing coasts of Staten Island and in Raritan Bay in New Jersey. Given the storm's forecast track and prevailing winds, tide levels at Battery Park, Manhattan, are forecast to be several feet lower than the record of around 14 feet during Sandy.

"Conditions around New York City, much of the upper mid-Atlantic and southern New England regions will fluctuate during the storm, and there is the potential of becoming complacent," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said. "Because of tidal cycles, coastal flooding will increase and decrease. However, where winds flip more to the east Sunday, water levels could surge to their highest levels of the entire storm."

The nor'easter will linger around the New York City area for days, disrupting travel and daily routines through the Monday morning commute.

Montauk, New York

Montauk, on the eastern end of Long Island, faces some of the storm’s fiercest impacts with wind gusts of 60-80 mph, similar to those of a strong tropical storm or a Category 1 hurricane. Winds of that strength could topple trees, damage power lines and cause outages.

AccuWeather is forecasting more rain in Montauk than in New York City. Rainfall totals in eastern Long Island are forecast to be 3-5 inches, which is around the historical average for the entire month of September.

Heavy rain, combined with 2-4 feet of storm surge, can cause roadways to flood, especially near the coast. The pounding surf can also cause some erosion along the coast.

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