Friday, September 25th, 2026 — A strengthening nor’easter is producing coastal flooding and beach erosion along the Mid-Atlantic and is expected to bring heavier rain, stronger winds and additional flooding to parts of the Northeast through the weekend.
More than 40 million people could experience rain, wind, coastal flooding or a combination of those hazards. The storm was positioned several hundred miles off the Mid-Atlantic coast and was forecast to move north while strengthening over the next two days.
Property losses could develop from several sources. Coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island were under high wind warnings for Friday and Saturday, with gusts potentially reaching 60 mph. Winds at that level can bring down trees and power lines and may cause damage to roofs, siding and other exterior property.
Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island could receive 2 to 4 inches of rain, with isolated totals approaching 5 inches. Boston and Providence are among the areas expected to encounter periods of heavy rain and strong winds. Flooding is possible on roads and in urban locations with poor drainage.
New York City could experience wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph from late Friday through Saturday, along with periods of heavy rain. Coastal flooding is possible around Friday evening and Saturday morning high tides, including parts of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and lower Manhattan. Long Island is also expected to face significant wind, rain and coastal impacts.
Flood conditions developed earlier farther south. Coastal areas of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey experienced flooding Wednesday, with some locations in southeastern Virginia reaching major flood stage. Additional flooding was expected through Friday and, in some locations, Saturday.
In North Carolina's Outer Banks, a section of Highway 12 at Rodanthe in Dare County closed Thursday after waves breached a protective dune. Officials expected additional overwash during high tides. Streets in Norfolk, Virginia, also closed because of flooding, while the city's public schools and administrative offices were closed Thursday.
Repeated high tides and heavy surf are expected to worsen beach erosion. Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Nags Head, North Carolina, closed beaches to swimming, while weather and erosion prompted organizers in Ocean City, Maryland, to cancel the first day of the Oceans Calling music festival.
The coastal flood threat is being amplified by a strong area of high pressure over eastern Canada and a full moon Saturday. The pressure difference between the high and the developing nor'easter is increasing winds along the coast, while the lunar cycle is raising high-tide levels.
For property and catastrophe adjusters, losses could include wind damage, water intrusion, fallen trees, power-related damage, coastal inundation and erosion-related impacts. Access could also become a problem in flooded communities and barrier-island locations where roads are closed or repeatedly covered by ocean water. Conditions are expected to persist in parts of the Northeast into Sunday or Monday even after the storm begins to weaken.
