What We Know About the Nor'easter Bringing Rain, Wind to the Northeast

A nor'easter tracking up the Eastern Seaboard is forecast to bring intermittent rain from North Carolina to Cape Cod starting Friday afternoon, with the heaviest rain and strongest winds arriving Saturday through Monday, according to ABC News.

By Monday, the storm is expected to have dropped 2 to 4 inches of rain across a corridor stretching from New Jersey to Maine, ABC News reported. Boston and Long Island are forecast to see higher totals, in the 4-to-6-inch range, per the same forecast.

What areas will see the heaviest rain?

Rain arrives first in the south and works north. Intermittent rounds begin Friday afternoon between North Carolina and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, ABC News reported. From Saturday through Monday, windy rain showers are expected on and off between New Jersey and Maine. The two named high-total zones — Boston and Long Island — sit at the upper end of the range because they are positioned closest to the storm's strongest bands, according to the ABC News forecast tracking.

How strong will the wind gusts get, and where?

Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph have already been recorded along the Mid-Atlantic coast, and that wind field is forecast to move north through the weekend, ABC News reported. A high wind watch is in effect Friday and Saturday from the Jersey Shore through coastal Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where gusts could reach 60 mph, according to the forecast. New York City's peak wind window looks to be Saturday morning, when gusts around 45 mph are possible, per ABC News.

The spread between the Mid-Atlantic's already-recorded 40-to-50-mph gusts and the 60-mph watch farther north shows the storm intensifying as it moves along the coast rather than weakening, based on the wind gust mapping in the ABC News report.

Will there be coastal flooding and dangerous waves?

Coastal flood alerts are in place alongside the wind watches, ABC News reported. Wave heights also grow with latitude: waves up to 12 feet are possible from North Carolina's Outer Banks to the New Jersey shore through Saturday, while waves up to 17 feet are forecast from Massachusetts to Maine between Friday and Sunday, according to the same forecast. Beach erosion is expected in addition to the flooding, ABC News reported.

Data box: rain and wind by region

• New Jersey to Maine: 2 to 4 inches of rain by Monday (ABC News, Sept. 24, 2026)
• Boston and Long Island: 4 to 6 inches of rain by Monday (ABC News, Sept. 24, 2026)
• Mid-Atlantic coast: 40 to 50 mph gusts already recorded (ABC News, Sept. 24, 2026)
• Jersey Shore to coastal Massachusetts: high wind watch Friday-Saturday, gusts up to 60 mph (ABC News, Sept. 24, 2026)
• New York City: gusts around 45 mph possible Saturday morning (ABC News, Sept. 24, 2026)
• Outer Banks to New Jersey shore: waves up to 12 feet through Saturday (ABC News, Sept. 24, 2026)
• Massachusetts to Maine: waves up to 17 feet, Friday-Sunday (ABC News, Sept. 24, 2026)

What travel and infrastructure disruptions are possible?

The storm could cause power outages and flight disruptions along the Northeast coast, ABC News reported, though the outlet did not cite specific airport or utility figures. Nor'easters draw their name from winds that typically blow from the northeast over the coast, and they nearly always bring heavy rain or snow along with gale-force winds, rough seas and coastal flooding, according to ABC News. These systems are most frequent and most intense between September and April, the outlet noted.

What should residents watch for through Monday?

• Friday afternoon: rain begins between North Carolina and Cape Cod, wind watches take effect from the Jersey Shore to coastal Massachusetts.
• Saturday morning: peak wind window for New York City, with gusts near 45 mph possible; waves near the Outer Banks and New Jersey shore approach 12 feet.
• Saturday into Sunday: wave heights from Massachusetts to Maine build toward 17 feet.
• Through Monday: cumulative rain totals reach 2 to 4 inches New Jersey-to-Maine, with 4 to 6 inches in Boston and on Long Island.
• Ongoing risk: coastal flooding, beach erosion, possible power outages and flight delays along the coast.

ABC News is tracking the storm's path and updating rain and wind maps as new data comes in; its full forecast, including a related explainer on how nor'easters form, is available at the originating story.

Artiglio is A coming-soon iPhone chief of staff for briefings and drafts. Not on the App Store yet.