Powerful storm batters northeast US, hundreds of flights canceled
Authorities warned of flooding in coastal areas as high tide coincides with the stormImage: Vincent Alban/REUTERSAdvertisementHeavy rain and strong winds pounded the northeastern United States on Saturday, forcing authorities to cancel hundreds of flights and leaving thousands without electricity.
New York, Boston and Philadelphia were in the firing line of the 'Nor'easter,' named after the northeasterly winds.
Nor'easters are large cyclones in the western North Atlantic Ocean, which typically form off the east coast of the US.
They can occur throughout the year but are more frequent between fall and early spring.
Nor'easters are almost always accompanied by heavy rainfall or snow, as well as strong winds.
Residents in low-lying and coastal areas were warned of potential flooding and road closures, as the storm coincides with high tide.
"This storm is expected to bring major coastal flooding to the Mid-Atlantic Coast over multiple high tide cycles through the weekend," the National Weather Service said in its latest forecast.
"Prepare immediately for significant inundation in low-lying areas near the shore, including roads underwater and impacts to homes and businesses," it said.
Some 95,000 people in the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania were facing a power outage as of 3 p.m. on Saturday (1900 GMT), as per poweroutage.com.
New York Governor Kathy Kochul said the storm was particularly impacting the coastal areas of New York City and Long Island.
"Conditions are extremely dangerous. Anyone who goes in or near the water this weekend is literally gambling with their life," she said in a press briefing.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned residents of the strong winds, saying "Don't travel if you don't have to."
Hundreds of flights were cancelled due to the storm, with 253 at Boston's Logan airport alone, according to tracker FlightAware.
Airlines including JetBlue, United and American have issued travel alerts, allowing passengers to change their flights without a fee.
As of 6:13 p.m. local time (2213 GMT), FlightAware said 439 flights involving US airports had been canceled and 2,459 flights were delayed.
Major cultural events have also been called off.
The Global Citizen and All Things Go Festivals in New York, and the Oceans Calling Festival in Maryland were canceled.
"Safety has to come first. This is the first time in 14 years we've had to cancel," said organizers of the Global Citizen event in Central Park, which was meant to feature Lenny Kravitz, Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys and country stars Lainey Wilson and Shaboozey.
British Pop star Ed Sheeran's Weekend concerts near Boston were also canceled due to the storm.
About five inches (13 centimeters) of rain was forecast in areas of Massachusetts, including Boston. That's equivalent to more than a month's worth of rain.
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