One of the worst major coastal flooding events on record – likely near Superstorm Sandy levels – is imminent for parts of the Eastern Seaboard as a soon-to-be bomb cyclone enters the Northeast.
This comes in the absence of blizzard conditions on the warm side of the dangerous winter storm walloping the Midwest and Great Lakes this week before spreading toward the East Coast ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend.
The FOX Forecast Center said windswept rain is expected Friday in the Northeast as powerful winds blast the region with widespread 50-plus-mph wind gusts.
In addition, 60- to 70-mph gusts cannot be ruled out with the passage of the arctic cold front Friday into Friday night. At least a few scattered power outages are likely, and more widespread outages are possible.
At the coast, strong onshore winds will lead to a significant coastal flood event along south-facing coasts, especially with the Friday morning high tide.
“A Coastal Flood Watch really does extend all the way from portions of Maine along the coast. You take that over through the Cape and down over through the Jersey Shore, especially Friday morning,” FOX Weather Meteorologist Craig Herrera said. “With high tide and that strong onshore push, we could watch for some coastal flooding there.”
Flood levels are forecast to be among the top 10, and in some cases the top 5, on record along the south shore of Long Island, the Jersey Shore and the Connecticut coast.
Even after the rain ends, the dangers will not end.
Rapidly dropping temperatures will quickly freeze up any water that remains on the roads, leading to treacherous driving conditions from Friday night into at least Saturday.