Thousands were without power on the U.S. East Coast on Friday night as a nor’easter struck. East Coast as a powerful nor’easter lashed coastal New Jersey with high winds and severe flooding on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. The National Weather Service warned of dangerous conditions continuing through the weekend, triggering widespread flight cancellations, ferry suspensions, and event shutdowns from New Jersey to New England.
Jersey Shore Roads Under Water as Storm Slams the Coast
Rising waters pushed onto coastal streets on Friday night, inundating homes in Surf City and triggering a First Alert for the Jersey Shore that will remain in effect through Sunday evening. The coastal flooding was exacerbated by the full moon, bringing rough surf, high rip current risks, and significant beach erosion to the region.
Roughly 34 miles up the coast in Manasquan, where voluntary evacuations were already in place for low-lying areas, local leadership braced for a prolonged inundation.
a lot of water in the streets for a long time.
Mayor Mike Mangan
Power Outages Mount Across New Jersey as Gusts Strengthen
Strong gusty winds began whipping through the state on Friday night, knocking out power to thousands of residents. Data from NJ.com’s Power Outage Tracker, which compiles reports from the state’s four major utility companies, showed more than 7,000 customers in the dark as of 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Further north in Sea Bright, Mayor Brian Kelly warned that winds could reach up to 50 mph while street flooding might climb as high as 6 feet. Officials expected flooding to start Saturday and worsen by midday, drawing comparisons to a past disaster.
Town officials prepared to open the local recreation center to house evacuees from low-lying neighborhoods.
Damaging Winds and Tree Hazards Threaten New England
The storm’s path extends far beyond the Mid-Atlantic. Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norton, Massachusetts, noted that peak wind gusts could hit 60 to 65 mph on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket, while Boston faces gusts of about 50 to 55 mph and inland areas see 35 to 40 mph.
Forecasters pointed out a compounding danger for New England: because the storm is arriving early in the season, trees still carry their leaves. That extra foliage creates more wind resistance, increasing the risk of downed tree limbs, power outages, and blocked roadways.
Canceled Flights, Ferries, Concerts, and Ballgames
Transportation networks and weekend entertainment schedules suffered immediate disruptions. More than 200 flights into and out of Boston, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and New York were canceled on Friday, with additional cancellations slated for Saturday as airlines offered to waive some change fees for some East Coast flights through the weekend.
Public ferry services connecting Cape Cod to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard experienced widespread cancellations due to choppy water and strong winds, while Rhode Island ferries to Block Island were similarly canceled.
For island commuters, however, weather delays are a familiar hurdle. It’s a nuisance, but you know, we know what to do with this kind of stuff at this point,
said Sean Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority, adding that This is not out of the realm of ordinary.
Major events also bowed to the weather. Ed Sheeran canceled high-profile Friday and Saturday concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. In professional sports, the Boston Red Sox shifted their Sunday afternoon game against the Chicago Cubs forward to Friday, creating a split doubleheader.
Conditions to Ease by Sunday Night
Meteorologists indicate that the worst of the weather will persist through the weekend, with the highest wind gusts hitting Saturday evening into Sunday morning. Weather conditions are expected to gradually improve by Sunday night into Monday morning as the coastal storm lifts north away from the region.