Powerful storm hits the northeastern United States

The northeastern United States was hit yesterday, Saturday, by heavy rains and strong winds as an exceptional autumn storm intensified, causing hundreds of flight cancellations and power outages for tens of thousands of Americans.

The National Weather Service predicted that “the storm will cause significant flooding along the Mid-Atlantic coast, with high tides persisting through the end of the week.”

It urged residents to “prepare immediately for major flooding in low-lying areas near the coast, with roads likely to be submerged and homes and commercial properties at risk.”

By 3:00 p.m. on Saturday (8:00 p.m. GMT), more than 95,000 customers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania had lost power, according to PowerOutage.us, a website that tracks outages.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul stated that the storm was heading toward the coastal areas of New York City and Long Island, warning that “the rain has already begun... and believe me, the worst is yet to come.”

She added that some parts of Long Island could see up to 15 centimeters (about six inches) of rain in the coming days, with waves reaching heights of up to 20 feet (approximately six meters).

Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel due to strong winds and the risk of falling power lines.

Major airlines, including JetBlue, United, and American Airlines, issued travel advisories allowing passengers to change their reservations without additional fees.

The adverse weather also prompted the United Nations to ask media outlets covering the General Assembly meetings to remove broadcasting equipment from the vicinity of its headquarters in New York due to the intensity of the winds.

Several cultural and musical events were canceled, including the “Global Citizen” and “All Things Go” festivals in New York, the “Oceans Calling” festival in Maryland, and concerts by British singer Ed Sheeran near Boston.

Nor’easters are well-known weather phenomena along the U.S. East Coast, occurring frequently between autumn and early spring, and are often accompanied by heavy rain or snow and strong winds.