BOSTON (AP/WHDH) — A nor’easter barreled up the U.S. coast Tuesday, and forecasters warned it could bring flooding, hurricane-force wind gusts and widespread power outages to New England.
The worst of the storm was expected to lash the region late Tuesday through Wednesday morning. Wind gusts as high as 75 mph were forecast on Cape Cod, with sustained winds as high as 45 mph. The National Weather Service warned that waves off the Massachusetts coast could reach 19 feet.
RELATED: Thousands without power as nasty nor’easter lashes the Bay State
A high wind warning remains in effect until 2 p.m. on Wednesday for parts of Essex, Norfolk, Bristol, Middlesex, and Suffolk, counties. It will be in effect for Barnstable, Dukes, Eastern Plymouth and Nantucket until 5 p.m.
A wind advisory remains in effect until 2 p.m. on Wednesday in Central Middlesex, Southern Worcester, and Western Essex counties.
Peak wind gusts are expected to stretch into 10 a.m. Wednesday morning.
At the lighthouse in Scituate, winds ranged from 40 to 75 miles per hour. Though flooding is a concern there, astronomically low high tides are keeping the waters at bay.
Two to four inches of rain is projected to fall with an isolated five inches possible over a two-day span.
A flood watch is in effect until Wednesday evening for all of Mass. excluding the Cape and the Islands, Berkshire County, and Western Franklin County.
A coastal flood advisory has also been issued from 3 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday for Cape Cod and the Islands, as well as the eastern coastline.
In Plymouth, boat owners worked quickly to pull their vessels out of the water before the storm arrived. As the wind picked up, those who chose to leave them in the ocean could be seen coming by to check on them.
The National Weather Service warned that waves off the state’s coast could reach 19 feet.
RELATED: Track the storm on interactive radar
In Rockport, angry seas crashed down along the shoreline with sustained winds up to 30 miles per hour and gust up to 60 miles per hour.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority suspended its ferry service Tuesday and Wednesday. In Salem, which hosts one of the nation’s largest Halloween festivals through October, the town canceled ferry service to Boston, urging visitors to take a commuter train instead.
The early nor’easter arrives before many trees have shed their leaves for the winter, raising the risk for power outages as branches covered in wet, heavy leaves blow onto transmission lines. Eversource, a power company that serves much of New England, warned that widespread outages were possible through Wednesday.
In New Bedford, a COVID-19 testing operation closed early because of the storm, and residents were urged to secure outdoor furniture and bring pets inside.
Flash flood warnings remained in effect through Tuesday evening in southern Connecticut, northeastern New Jersey and southeastern New York, along with high wind warnings from New York to Massachusetts.
The storm disrupted some flights, and federal officials warned about possible delays or cancellations.
The storm, which is expected to be felt as far north as Nova Scotia, drenched the mid-Atlantic earlier Tuesday, dropping nearly 5 inches of rain on parts of New Jersey. Strong winds were forecast for the area through Wednesday.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delayed the opening of state offices because of the wind and rain, calling the day “a wash out.” Rutgers University moved classes online for the day, and some colleges and schools canceled altogether.
New York and New Jersey had issued emergency declarations on Monday ahead of the storm, but there was little evidence of calamity as of late Tuesday afternoon.
In the waters off New York’s Long Island, the U.S. Coast Guard and local police searched Tuesday for a kayaker who did not return from a trip Monday night. He left a few hours before heavy rain started falling.
The storm arrives just weeks after the remnants of Hurricane Ida inundated the Northeast and caused deadly flooding.
For the latest weather updates, visit the 7Weather page.
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