Powerful nor’easter continues pounding Northeast US with heavy rains and flooding

A slow-moving nor’easter continued its weekend-long march across the Atlantic coast on Saturday, creating dangerous conditions for the tens of millions of people in its path and causing disruptions that extended well beyond the northeastern United States.

What they're saying:

"Anyone who goes in or near the water this weekend is literally gambling with their life," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned as she joined the chorus of meteorologists and public officials urging people to take precautions against the powerful storm. 

Big picture view:

High winds have been blamed for power outages that left as many as 100,000 people in the dark. Meanwhile, heavy rains and high tides, the highest of which were supposed to happen north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Saturday night, are expected to create risks of widespread flooding in coastal and bayside communities, the National Weather Service cautioned.

An estimated 40 million people were in the direct path of the storm and states of emergency were declared up and down the coast, including in New York and New Jersey. Wind speeds have blown past 55 mph at JFK Airport and gusts of up to 60 mph are expected elsewhere as the weekend continues. 

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Dig deeper:

One New Jersey marina owner, Kenny Formica, watched surveillance video showing water rising in his marina, something he does not think had happened since Hurricane Sandy devastated the region. Formica explained that he woke up to messages from customers about missing Jet Skis and boats, as well as a video from the owner of a 25-foot boat that had been blown off its lift. 

The effects were felt further south as well. Norfolk, Virginia, has seen isolated flooding all week because of the storm. One resident, Ellie Hodge, explained, "We’ve seen cars get stuck on the road, going up the sidewalks. It’s been pretty bad this time around."

The backstory:

The storm has caused hundreds of flights to be canceled at Boston’s Logan International Airport and at the popular Massachusetts tourist destinations of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. 

The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs, who were already going into the last weekend of the regular season battling for playoff spots, also found themselves battling the weather. The teams ended up playing a preemptive double-header on Friday, to cover Saturday’s game. For Sunday, the teams packed up and headed south. Traveling all the way to Florida, the Cubs and Sox finished their seasons at the Tampa Bay Rays’ home park.

Musician Ed Sheeran had two stops on his high-profile tour canceled when his Friday and Saturday night concerts, slated to be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, were nixed. Also scratched this weekend were an Ironman triathlon in New York and the Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland.