Strong potential nor’easter develops as East Coast prepares for stormy conditions

A mid-October potential nor’easter is developing off the Florida coast and is expected to track up the East Coast over the weekend into early next week, bringing direct impacts to major cities along the coast.

As of Saturday, the storm is forecast to impact major Northeast locations along the East Coast with at least 1 to 3 inches of rain and 20 to 40 mph wind gusts possible from the Carolinas up to New England.

Coastal areas are likely to see upward of 4 to 5 inches of rain with 50 to 60 mph wind gusts and could experience major and damaging coastal flooding, significant beach erosion and heavy surf.

The Southeast Coast from Florida up to the Wilmington, Delaware, area are currently getting soaked with rain, with some of the downpours heavy enough to cause some flash flooding in areas late Friday.

The threat for flooding rains from the coastal storm shifts north on Saturday to the eastern Carolinas and the southern Delmarva Peninsula with the highest threat focused over coastal North Carolina, which is expected to see heavy rain capable of scattered flooding.

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With the strong onshore winds picking up as the storm begins tracking north, coastal flooding will also exacerbate any flooding that occurs from heavy rainfall.

Coastal flood alerts and high surf alerts are in effect from Miami up to coastal New England in anticipation of the coastal inundation this storm will bring.

The highest coastal flood threat will be for parts of the Mid-Atlantic, where moderate to major coastal flooding is forecast from Norfolk, Virginia, up to Long Island, New York, with some of the coastal flooding in these areas potentially bringing significant impacts, with structural damage possible in coastal and bay side communities.

Significant beach erosion will also be possible along the East Coast, especially from the Outer Banks up to coastal New England.

High wind watches have been issued for southern Delaware, coastal New Jersey and Long Island from Sunday morning through the overnight hours into Monday for sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph and up to 60 mph gusts.

Wind advisories have also been issued for the Outer Banks of North Carolina and the Cape Cod Peninsula for wind gusts up to 45 to 50 mph.