Floodwater already covers streets and pushes into homes across New Jersey as a powerful nor’easter tightens its grip on the East Coast.
Story Snapshot
- New Jersey roads are flooding and water has entered some homes ahead of the storm’s peak.
- Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency for eight New Jersey counties.
- New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared her own emergency for New York City, Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley.
- Officials warn of coastal flooding, strong winds and possible power outages through the weekend.
Flooding Hits New Jersey Streets And Homes
Water covered roads in low-lying New Jersey towns as the nor’easter moved closer to the coast, with some homes already taking on water. The storm’s slow speed means heavy rain and rough surf could linger for days rather than hours, giving floodwater more time to rise in shore communities and inland spots near rivers and creeks.
Emergency crews across the region are watching tide charts closely, since coastal flooding often gets worse when heavy rain lines up with high tide. Forecasters say the storm’s track determines how bad flooding gets, but the flooding already reported in New Jersey shows real impacts have started, not just forecasts of what might come.
States Declare Emergencies As Storm Approaches
Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency covering eight New Jersey counties as the storm intensified over the weekend. New York Governor Kathy Hochul took similar action, declaring a state of emergency for the Bronx, Brooklyn, Nassau, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Suffolk and Westchester Counties in response to the coastal storm.
Hochul said the storm posed real danger to residents in shoreline and low-lying areas. “We’re expecting dangerous coastal flooding, strong winds and potential power outages through the weekend. Take this storm seriously,” she said in her official announcement. State officials in both New York and New Jersey activated emergency operations centers to track the storm’s path and respond to damage.
Forecasters Warned Of Uncertainty Days Before Impact
Weather agencies flagged this storm days before it made landfall, though they cautioned that its exact path remained hard to pin down. The National Weather Service uses confidence levels in its forecast updates, and agency discussions this week noted that small shifts in the storm’s track could change how much rain, wind and flooding different areas would see.
That early uncertainty did not stop officials from acting. Hochul held a public briefing to update residents on expected conditions before the storm’s heaviest impacts arrived, telling New Yorkers the state would deploy utility crews and other emergency resources to respond to outages and damage.
Wind And Surf Threaten Wider Region
Beyond street flooding, the storm brought hurricane-force wind gusts to parts of the coast and pushed seas several feet above normal levels in spots. Long Island and the Jersey Shore braced for the roughest surf, while forecasters warned that beach erosion could damage dunes built up over years to protect coastal homes from major storms.
Boston and other New England cities activated their own emergency operations centers as the storm pushed northeast, showing how one weather system stretched emergency response across several states at once. Officials in each region urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel until conditions improved.
What Comes Next For Storm-Hit Communities
Cleanup crews in New Jersey will need dry weather to clear flooded roads and assess damage to homes that took on water. Power companies across the region prepositioned crews before the storm hit, a step officials say helps speed up restoration once winds die down enough for repair trucks to safely operate.
Residents in flood-prone areas are watching updated tide and rain forecasts to know when water levels might drop. For families whose homes flooded, the coming days will bring insurance calls and cleanup work, a reminder that even a storm forecasters debated in advance can leave a real, lasting mark once it makes landfall.
#BREAKING
NEW YORK CITY, NY (NP) — New York City Officials are monitoring the situation with the Nor’ Easter as it approaches the 5 Boroughs #nyc #ny pic.twitter.com/aAzxStJkXI— National Presse (@NPWire) September 26, 2026
The scope of the response, two governors declaring emergencies and multiple states activating operations centers, shows how seriously officials took the threat even while some forecast details stayed uncertain until the storm was nearly on top of the coast.
Sources:
governor.ny.gov, lohud.com, abc7ny.com
