Mamdani issues NYC travel warning as storm track shifts closer
A nor’easter gathering strength along the East Coast moved north on Friday, setting the stage for a stormy weekend with strong winds, rain, and potential flooding. Boston and New York City were expected to see rain, wind, and coastal flooding beginning Friday into early Saturday, according to United Press International.
The central East Coast was already feeling strong winds, with North Carolina and Virginia facing threats of coastal flooding and coastal erosion, UPI reported.
Forecasts shifted throughout the week, but the region between New York and Boston has consistently been projected to face the brunt of the incoming storm.
“It’s supposed to intensify and gradually drift to the north over the next day or so, working its way toward east of New Jersey, south of Long Island by the time we get into the weekend,” said Frank Pereira, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
New York City faced stretches of heavy rain backed by wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph from late Friday into the weekend, with the potential for flooding reaching urban areas, according to the weather service.
Mamdani issued a travel warning beginning Friday afternoon, saying the storm’s forecast path had moved closer to the city. “The forecast path of this storm has moved closer to our city, and it is bringing more rain and stronger winds with it,” he said.
A full moon was set to coincide with the strengthening storm on Saturday, putting the coast under a high tide as the system approached, UPI reported.
New York had a 75% chance of rain on Saturday and a 50% chance on Sunday, according to the weather service forecast. Boston’s rain prospects were set to fall from 60% on Saturday to 25% on Monday, while Portland, Maine, faced a 50% chance of rain each day from Saturday through Monday.
The storm system has the potential to move inland but is expected to largely stay offshore throughout the weekend, according to UPI.
The region could receive up to a month’s worth of rain during the storm. Meteorologists said there is a risk of “excessive rain” that could cause flash flooding, particularly along the coasts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and eastern Long Island.