Nor'easter drenches East Coast, bringing deadly winds, flooding

On Sunday, a powerful nor'easter continued to batter parts of the U.S. East Coast, bringing intense rain, strong winds, and dangerous waves to multiple states. In coastal areas of New York and New Jersey, the storm caused severe flooding, prompting residents to paddle through neighborhoods on kayaks and canoes, with some parked cars nearly submerged. Flood warnings remained in effect for large portions of the coastline, with meteorologists warning that the storm's worst impacts might still be to come for some communities.

At least one death was reported in Brooklyn, New York, where a 56-year-old New York City Housing Department employee, Leighton Brown, was fatally struck by a falling tree. Another person was missing after disappearing while swimming at a Fire Island beach on Saturday. Tens of thousands across the Northeast lacked power on Sunday morning, with over 40,000 in New York and around 30,000 in Connecticut affected, according to the PowerOutage.us utility tracker.

The storm was expected to intensify on Sunday when it turned inland from its offshore position, traveling directly over New Jersey. Both New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill declared states of emergency for regions facing the most severe effects of the nor'easter. The National Weather Service forecasted additional rain through Monday night, which could lead to more flooding in the Mid-Atlantic and northeastern states.

Rough surf and rip currents posed dangers to beachgoers as far south as the Carolinas, while wind gusts up to 50 mph could damage more power lines and topple additional trees in the tri-state area, stretching from New Jersey to Long Island.

The weather service cautioned that excessive rainfall could cause localized flash flooding, particularly in urban areas, roads, small streams, and narrow canyons. They urged eastern seaboard residents to prepare for significant inundation, especially near the shore during high tide. The storm was forecast to coincide with at least one more high tide cycle on Sunday morning.

River, creek, stream, and coastal flooding incidents, as well as damaging wind events, were reported from North Carolina to New York between Friday and Saturday. The strongest wind gusts, approaching 75 mph, were recorded in Surf City, New Jersey, and Astoria, Pennsylvania, similar to the intensity of a low-grade hurricane.