Planning Travel This Week? Nor'easter Could Wreck Your Plans

Heading out on the East Coast this week? You may want a backup plan. A developing storm could bring heavy rain, strong winds and coastal flooding to several states, and forecasters say it may grow into a nor’easter.

The National Weather Service is monitoring a possible late-week coastal low, and its exact track is still uncertain. AccuWeather said coastal flooding around high tide is likely from North Carolina to New York through Friday.

A developing coastal storm could bring heavy rain, strong winds and coastal flooding to parts of the East Coast this week.

Nor’easter Forecast This Week: Timeline for the Mid-Atlantic and New England

Downpours have soaked parts of the Mid-Atlantic since Saturday night, AccuWeather said. A new storm could form along the coast or up to a couple of hundred miles offshore, and it may drift back toward land later in the week.

Newsweek reports The Weather Channel sees models split on the low’s position. One brings it closer to shore, meaning stronger winds and more erosion. Another keeps it farther out, meaning fewer effects along the I-95 corridor.

In eastern North Carolina, the weather service said rain and coastal flooding risks rise Thursday, Sept. 24. Its Morehead City office warned of hazardous marine conditions from Wednesday, including dangerous surf and possible Outer Banks overwash.

Heavy rain will likely follow Friday, Sept. 25, and Saturday, Sept. 26, in New York and New England, the weather service said. That includes Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Coastal Flooding, Storm Surge and Rip Current Risks on the East Coast

The FOX Forecast Center said the Outer Banks could see major coastal flooding, extreme surf and heavy rain. Gusts of 40 to 50 mph are possible, with offshore waves of 15 to 18 feet.

FOX also expects ocean overwash on coastal roads, including Highway 12. Onshore winds could trap water in back bays, it said, leading to back-to-back high tides. Flooding could then spread from North Carolina into southern New England.

AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Chad Merrill said prolonged rough surf may cause above-normal tides and beach erosion. The full moon will also raise tide levels this week, AccuWeather said.

By the weekend, the low could track toward the I-95 corridor and New England, FOX said. If it shifts closer to Boston, gusts of 60 to 70 mph and major storm surge are possible.

The track will decide who takes the worst of it. AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva told Newsweek that impacts depend on where the storm develops and where it ends up going.

There’s a silver lining for Maine. Merrill said the rain could reach far enough north to ease the state’s ongoing drought.

According to FOX, officials warned of dangerous seas, extreme rip currents and massive swells. Forecasts can change, so check the latest National Weather Service updates and confirm your routes and bookings before you go.