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Intense Nor'easter Knocks Out Power And Disrupts Travel Across U.S. Northeast
An intense nor'easter knocked out power to more than 70,000 customers and disrupted travel across the U.S. Northeast on Saturday, September 26, 2026.[1]
Hundreds to more than 1,000 flights were canceled and thousands more delayed, Amtrak canceled several trains, and ferry service on Cape Cod and in Rhode Island was disrupted.[2] Tens of thousands of residents also faced outages as forecasters warned peak gusts of 60-65 mph on Cape Cod and sustained 35-40+ mph winds could persist for roughly 48 hours.[2]
On Friday, September 25, 2026, New Jersey and New York governors declared states of emergency and some local officials ordered voluntary evacuations for low-lying areas.[3] Coastal towns from Manasquan and Surf City to Ship Bottom, Ocean City and Atlantic City reported submerged roads and some homes inundated, while Sea Bright warned street flooding could reach roughly 6 feet.[3]
Initial coverage emphasized preparedness and worst-case forecasts, including sandwall building on Long Island and mayoral warnings to move to higher ground.[3] Later reporting from NPR and PBS documented a harsher reality: widespread outages, mass flight cancellations, train suspensions and multiple event postponements as the storm moved onshore.[2] Officials and the National Weather Service urged immediate preparation for major coastal flooding expected over multiple high-tide cycles.[1]
Show source details & analysis (6 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- On Friday, September 25, 2026, the New Jersey and New York governors declared states of emergency ahead of the nor'easter (New Jersey and New York governors).
- Local officials ordered voluntary evacuations and reported early flooding: on Friday, September 25, 2026 Manasquan issued a voluntary evacuation for some low-lying areas, and coastal New Jersey towns from Ship Bottom and Ocean City to Surf City and Atlantic City saw submerged roads and inundated homes (Surf City, New Jersey).
- Sea Bright officials warned the borough was bracing for winds up to about 50 mph and street flooding that could reach roughly 6 feet — a level compared to 2011's Hurricane Irene — and urged hundreds in low-lying areas to consider evacuating (Sea Bright, New Jersey Mayor Brian Kelly).
- The National Weather Service warned the heaviest rain would fall from coastal New Jersey and Long Island up through Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, cautioned the storm could cause major coastal flooding over multiple high-tide cycles, and said the system was expected to weaken later Saturday, September 26, 2026 (National Weather Service).
- National Weather Service meteorologist Francis Tarasiewicz warned peak gusts could reach 60–65 mph on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket and about 50–55 mph around Boston, and that winds above 35–40 mph could persist for roughly 48 hours — longer than a typical nor'easter (National Weather Service meteorologist Francis Tarasiewicz).
- By Saturday, September 26, 2026, tens of thousands of customers were without electricity across the U.S. Northeast — PBS reported more than 70,000 customers without power as the nor'easter intensified (more than 70,000 customers).
- Reporting also indicated even larger outage counts in some areas: on Saturday, September 26, 2026 NPR reported nearly 100,000 customers without power across New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts (nearly 100,000 customers).
- The storm caused widespread travel disruption on Saturday, September 26, 2026 — more than 1,000 flights were canceled or hundreds canceled and thousands delayed, Amtrak canceled several trains because of weather and downed wires, and ferry services on Cape Cod and in Rhode Island were disrupted (more than 1,000 flights were canceled).
- Major events were canceled or rescheduled because of the storm, including Maryland's Oceans Calling music festival, an Ed Sheeran concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, and the Boston Red Sox moving their Sunday, September 27, 2026 game into a split doubleheader to avoid the storm (Red Sox–Cubs games).
📰 Source Timeline (6)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
September 26, 2026
3:20 PM
Roads flood in New Jersey, inundate some homes, as major signs of nor'easter take shape
New information:
- On Saturday, September 26, 2026, more than 70,000 customers were without electricity in the U.S. Northeast as the nor'easter intensified.
- The National Weather Service warned Saturday that the storm is expected to bring major coastal flooding to the Mid-Atlantic over multiple high-tide cycles and urged immediate preparation for significant inundation of low-lying coastal areas.
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday that coastal flooding is the biggest threat and warned of heavy rain, powerful winds and waves up to 20 feet, noting about half an inch of rain had fallen so far with much more expected.
- Sea Bright, New Jersey Mayor Brian Kelly said the borough is bracing for winds up to 50 mph and street flooding that could reach roughly 6 feet, comparing the expected impact to 2011's Hurricane Irene and urging hundreds in low-lying areas to consider evacuating.
- The article details forecast peak wind gusts of 60–65 mph on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, about 50–55 mph around Boston and 35–40 mph farther inland, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Belk.
- The piece notes more than 70,000 customers without power, cancellations of concerts, and additional flight cancellations into Boston, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard on Friday and Saturday, with airlines waiving some change or cancellation fees.
11:38 AM
Powerful nor'easter brings winds, floods to East Coast
New information:
- On Saturday, September 26, 2026, nearly 100,000 customers were without power across New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts as the nor'easter intensified.
- The National Weather Service said the storm would move slowly north on September 26 and maintain winds above 35–40 mph for roughly 48 hours, longer than a typical nor'easter.
- NWS meteorologist Francis Tarasiewicz in Boston warned that full, leafy trees increase the risk of additional outages, with the highest risk in southern Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts, and Cape Cod and the Islands.
- Hundreds of flights were canceled and thousands delayed on Saturday morning, and Amtrak canceled several trains due to weather and downed wires.
- Ferry services on Cape Cod and in Rhode Island were disrupted on September 26 because of the storm.
- Major events were canceled, including Maryland's Oceans Calling music festival, an Ed Sheeran concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and Red Sox–Cubs games that were rescheduled into a split doubleheader.
11:38 AM
Windy weddings and rocky cruises: How East Coasters are braving the nor'easter this weekend
New information:
- On Saturday, September 26, 2026, nearly 80,000 customers were without power across New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts as the nor'easter intensified.
- Meteorologist Francis Tarasiewicz of the National Weather Service in Massachusetts said coastal wind gusts could reach up to 60 miles per hour and emphasized this nor'easter is both earlier than the typical October–May season and expected to deliver about 48 hours of 35–40+ mph winds, longer than usual.
- The storm prompted major travel disruptions on Saturday, with more than 1,000 flights canceled and thousands more delayed, along with disrupted ferry services on Cape Cod and in Rhode Island and Amtrak train cancellations due to weather and downed wires.
- The article documents significant street flooding in Atlantic City on the morning of September 26, including water reaching the fifth step of a resident's front stairway, which she compared to Hurricane Sandy levels.
- Social-media and on-the-ground observations described streets inundated in New Jersey, massive waves along the coast, and people kayaking in flooded New York City streets, illustrating the extent of urban flooding.
5:43 AM
Roads flood in New Jersey, inundate some homes, as first major signs of nor'easter take shape
New information:
- By Friday night, September 25, 2026, thousands of people on the U.S. East Coast had lost power as the nor'easter began impacting the region.
- In Surf City, New Jersey, floodwaters with visible wave action covered streets and inundated some homes on Friday, September 25, 2026.
- About 34 miles up the coast in Manasquan, New Jersey, Mayor Mike Mangan reported road flooding and warned of 'a lot of water in the streets for a long time,' following earlier voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas.
- Sea Bright, New Jersey, Mayor Brian Kelly said the town is preparing for winds up to 50 mph and street flooding that could reach about 6 feet on Saturday, potentially approaching 2011 Hurricane Irene–scale flooding.
- The National Weather Service projected peak wind gusts of 60–65 mph on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket, and around 50–55 mph around Boston on Friday night and Saturday.
- More than 200 flights to and from Boston, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and New York–area airports were canceled for Friday, with additional cancellations already in place for Saturday.
- The Boston Red Sox moved their Sunday, September 27, 2026, game against the Chicago Cubs to Friday as part of a split doubleheader to avoid the storm, and concerts were canceled in the region.
12:46 AM
Nor'easter barrels down on East Coast, threatens millions with flooding, winds
New information:
- On Friday, September 25, 2026, New Jersey and New York governors declared states of emergency ahead of the nor'easter.
- Manasquan, New Jersey issued a voluntary evacuation for some low-lying areas on September 25, with officials warning of flooding at the high end of "moderate" and possibly low-end "major" levels.
- Coastal New Jersey towns such as Ship Bottom and Ocean City were already experiencing submerged roads and residents fleeing to higher ground on foot by Friday.
- Sea Bright, New Jersey officials are preparing for winds up to about 50 mph and street flooding that the mayor said could reach roughly 6 feet, potentially approaching 2011 Hurricane Irene-level flooding.
- On New York's Long Island, a state of emergency was declared and crews constructed sand walls along beaches in places like Freeport to protect homes from rising tides.
- In Plymouth, Massachusetts, boaters were clearing out the harbor on Friday, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu urged residents to plan ahead and take extra precautions.
- South Shore Massachusetts towns such as Cohasset and Scituate are identified as being in the storm's bullseye, with some seawalls partially under repair or stalled due to federal funding issues, raising concern about coastal protection.
- The article reiterates National Weather Service expectations that the heaviest rain from the nor'easter will fall from coastal New Jersey and Long Island up through Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, with the system expected to weaken later Saturday, September 26, 2026.
September 25, 2026