A nor’easter moving up the East Coast reached Connecticut Sunday afternoon, bringing high winds and potential flooding, the National Weather Service said.
The storm barreled up the East Coast early Sunday, causing a state of emergency to be declared in New Jersey and some airports posting delays and cancellations ahead of the storm, the Associated Press reported. Flights in and out of Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport and Tweed in New Haven were on time as of mid-Sunday morning.
A coastal flood advisory and a wind advisory was issued for Connecticut’s shoreline in preparation of the storm, the weather service said. The advisories meant areas could see 1 to 2 feet of flooding and winds could reach up to 50 mph, the NWS said.
A National Weather Service graphic showing potential wind gusts in Connecticut from a nor’easter on Sunday. (Courtesy of the National Weather Service)
The weather service said from noon Sunday until 6 p.m. Monday, winds along the shoreline are expected to be between 20 and 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph possible. The weather service said the strongest winds are expected Sunday night into early Monday.
Winds could bring down limbs and trees and cause power outages, the weather service said. Eversource, the state’s largest electricity provider, reported hundreds of Connecticut power outages Sunday morning that were mostly due to downed tree limbs.
“Northeast wind direction and fully leaved vegetation may increase the magnitude of downed tree limb, tree and power line impacts,” the weather service said.
Connecticut’s shoreline could also see between 1 and 3 inches of rain from what the weather service described as a “long-duration” storm. The rain could cause flooding and some damage along the shoreline.
“Flooding will be exacerbated” along the shoreline and tide-affected rivers during high tide periods Sunday and Monday “due to the combination of heavy rain and stormtides,” the weather service said.
Rain will begin in southern Connecticut after 11 a.m., while the northern part of the state will likely remain dry until around 3 p.m., the weather service said. Skies will be otherwise cloudy with highs in the 50s to mid-60s.
A National Weather Service graphic showing rainfall expectations in Connecticut from a nor’easter on Sunday. (Courtesy of the National Weather Service)
The storm will be worse on Long Island where “widespread moderate to major coasting flooding” is expected along the south shore in Nassau and Suffolk counties, the weather service said. “Damaging winds” are also expected across eastern portion of Long Island into early Monday, the weather service said.
Storm and gale warnings have been issued through Monday for the Long Island Sound where winds could reach 30 to 40 knots and seas could be between 14 and 19 feet, the weather service said.
All of New Jersey has been under a state of emergency since Saturday night. It’s expected to last into Monday, authorizing the state’s emergency services personnel to be activated as necessary.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
This article originally published at Nor’easter hits Connecticut with heavy rain and winds that may reach 50 mph.
