Powerful Nor'easter to Bring Damaging Winds and Coastal Flooding This Week

Autumn is going to arrive with a vengeance this week in the Northeast. Forecasters are warning that a strengthening storm could turn into an early-season nor'easter, unleashing heavy rain, high winds, and erosive surf along the coastline of the mid-Atlantic and to the north.

Start of Fall Will Usher in Major Storm to the East Coast

Tuesday evening marks the beginning of the fall season. The start of the season will be marked by a potent storm system taking aim at a zone from North Carolina up the coast into New England. A dip in the jet stream will support the development of a storm just off the East Coast. Where the storm forms in relation to the coastline will determine the severity of impacts for this populated part of the country.

The latest forecast models suggest that the storm could strengthen into a nor'easter if it forms closer to the coast. While the storm may drift out to sea for a short time, it could make a turn back to the west and deliver significant impacts to the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts. The weather maker will end up being less severe if the system does not make a turn back toward land.

Forecasters are predicting that the southeastern corner of Virginia could see major tidal impacts and torrential rain. Meanwhile, southeastern New England could be dealing with either a nor'easter or subtropical storm packing strong winds, steady rain, and coastal flooding. The line of moisture could reach as far north as Maine, helping to ease drought conditions in this part of the Northeast.