A storm barreled into the Northeastern U.S. on Monday, flooding roads and downing trees, knocking out power to almost 1million people, leaving four dead and canceling hundreds of flights.
More than five inches of rain fell in parts of New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania by mid-morning, and parts of several other states got more than four inches, according to the National Weather Service.
Wind gusts reached nearly 70 mph along the southern New England shoreline.
Power was knocked out for more than 800,000 customers in an area stretching from Virginia north through New England, including over 278,000 in Massachusetts and 263,000 in Maine, according to poweroutage.us.
The weather service issued flood and flash-flood warnings for New York City and the surrounding area, parts of Pennsylvania, upstate New York, western Connecticut, western Massachusetts and parts of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
New York City is on flood watch with millions expected to see their commutes affected as wind gusts reach up to 55mph Monday
A truck is submerged in flood water on Nepperhan Avenue after a large rainstorm in Elmsford, New York
Cars drive through a flooded street in Northvale, New Jersey
An 89-year-old Hingham, Massachusetts, man was killed early on Monday when high winds caused a tree to fall on a trailer, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz.
Robert Horky was pulled from the trailer with severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at South Shore Hospital.
In Catskill, New York, a driver was killed after the vehicle went around a barricade on a flooded road and was swept into the Catskill Creek, the Times Union reported.
And in Windham, Maine, police said part of a tree fell and killed a man who was removing debris from his roof.
Police did not immediately name the man, and they encouraged residents to stay indoors.
On Sunday in South Carolina, one person died when their vehicle flooded on a road in a gated community in Mount Pleasant.
Police officers and firefighters were able to get the victim out of the car and administer first aid, but they died at the hospital. The coroner´s office has not released the person’s name.
Over 245,000 power outages were reported from Pennsylvania to New York to New England. Paterson, New Jersey, seen above
Rescuers had to help people out of their vehicles in New Jersey
TRI-STATE AREA
Heavy rain and high tides caused flooding along the Jersey Shore, leading authorities to block off roads near Barnegat Bay in Bay Head and Mantoloking.
The flooding was made worse by leaf piles that residents had put out for collection but was blocking water from reaching drains.
The Delaware River spilled over its banks in suburban Philadelphia, leading to road closures.
In the suburb of Washington Crossing, crews placed barriers along roadways and worked to clear fallen tree limbs. Seven people died after flash flooding in that area over the summer.
In New Jersey, mote than 40,000 are reportedly without power. Several motorists had to be rescued in Newark due to street flooding, with first-responders pulling them from their vehicles to safety.
High-wind advisories were in place in Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island, with a high-wind watch in effect for Brooklyn and Queens.
Many flights were cancelled or delayed across the region.
Boston’s Logan International Airport grounded all flights Monday morning because of the poor conditions, leading to more than 100 canceled flights and about 375 delays, according to the flight-tracking service FlightAware.
At New York City area airports, nearly 80 flights were canceled and more than 90 were delayed.
In New York City, high winds caused the temporary closure of the Verrazzano Bridge. It reopened later Monday morning, but with a ban on large vehicles.
Rhode Island officials also were prohibiting tractor-trailers on the Newport Pell and Jamestown Verrazzano bridges over Narragansett Bay because of the wind.
Drivers had to be rescued in Newark, New Jersey due to flooding
Passengers are seen waiting for their delayed trains at Penn Station in New York City
A man carries an umbrella as he walks through heavy rain in Times Square in New York City on Monday
A pedestrian hustles across Seventh Avenue as heavy rain falls in Times Square in New York City on Monday
Several flights have been canceled out of New York’s LaGuardia airport Monday morning
People wait for a delayed flight to Detroit at LaGuardia airport in Queens, New York, on Monday
A truck backs up after a tree fell across Lake Street in North Salem New York during heavy rain and wind
NEW ENGLAND
Windspeeds exceeded 60 mph in Maine, which was the site of widespread damage to trees and structures, representatives for Maine’s largest utility said.
Central Maine Power said it anticipated a ‘multi-day restoration effort’ and crews Monday evening remained unable to safely use bucket trucks or to start making repairs.
Five months after flooding inundated Vermont’s capital city of Montpelier, water entered the basements of some downtown businesses as the city monitored the level of the Winooski River, officials said.
Authorities in the village of Moretown, Vermont, residents to evacuate some 30 to 50 homes because of flooding.
Some schools canceled classes, sent students home early or delayed their openings due to the storm.
A numbers of roads were also closed around the state due to flooding, including in Ludlow, the southern Vermont community that was hit hard by flooding in July.
Trees and power lines fell in many areas, including some that landed on homes and cars. In the coastal town of Guilford, Connecticut, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Hartford, a tree fell on a police cruiser but the officer escaped injury, officials said.
Certain roads throughout the region were closed due to flooding or downed trees.
‘Check your route before your morning commute, don´t drive through standing water, and don´t touch downed wires,’ New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy posted on X. ‘Remember: Turn around, don´t drown.’
Utility company Eversource said: ‘Our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to clear tree damage caused by the powerful winds whipping across the state,. As the storm continues to cause damage, remember to stay away from downed power lines and report them to 911—and be sure to report any outages.’
In Rhode Island, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed parts of Providence´s hurricane barrier system to prevent flooding from storm surge, Mayor Brett Smiley said.
The Providence River gates were closed in the morning and another gate was scheduled to close. City Hall in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, was closed due to leaks and water damage from its landmark tower, the city posted online.
Members of the Jamaica, Vermont Fire Department look at the damage to a failed culvert for the North Branch Ball Mountain Brook on Monday after a heavy storm dropped a couple of inches of rain
Ashley Koontz of Jamaica, Vermont takes a photo of the intensity of the water at Ball Mountain Brook in Jamaica on Monday
The water level of the Deerfield River creeps up to the edge of Route 100 in Wilmington, Vermont
Cassidy Doolittle of Wilmington takes a photo of the water marker on the side of a building in downtown Wilmington as the Deerfield River gets to 14 feet high on Monday
Boston’s Logan International Airport grounded all flights Monday morning because of the poor condition
Boston Logan saw more than 100 canceled flights and about 375 delays Monday
High winds drive surf into a retaining wall in front of a residence in Mattapoisett, MA
High winds and driving rain have caused many trees to fall like this one on Main Street, Rt. 3A in Marshfield Massachusetts. Drivers have had to navigate many closed roads on Monday
PENNSYLVANIA
In northeastern and central Pennsylvania, heavy rain that fell overnight flooded ponds, streams and creeks in several counties, forcing authorities to close several major roadways.
The Delaware River spilled over its banks in suburban Philadelphia, leading to road closures.
In the suburb of Washington Crossing, crews placed barriers along roadways and worked to clear fallen tree limbs. Seven people died after flash flooding in that area over the summer.
First responders make their way to rescue a person stranded by the floodwaters of the Perkiomen Creek near Graterford Road in Collegeville, Pennsylvania
First responders prepare a boat to rescue a person stranded in the floodwaters in Collegeville
First responders stand in the floodwaters of the Perkiomen Creek
Floodwaters from the Perkiomen Creek surround a mailbox in Collegeville, Pennsylvania
A home is surrounded by floodwaters from the Perkiomen Creek in Collegeville
Floodwaters from the Perkiomen Creek submerge a road in Collegeville
First responders transport a person stranded by the floodwaters of the Perkiomen Creek
STORM PASSED THROUGH THE SOUTH
The storm moved up the East Coast on Saturday and Sunday, breaking rainfall records and requiring water rescues.
It brought unseasonably warm temperatures of more than 60 degrees to the Northeast on Monday.
In South Carolina on Sunday, the tide in Charleston Harbor reached 9.86 feet just before noon, which was the fourth-highest reading ever.
‘This was a tough and frustrating day for our citizens, as historic high tides came up and over the land in the city, flooding cars, homes, businesses and streets,’ Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg said, adding there were no reports of serious injuries.
Tecklenburg said the city is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to protect against tidal flooding and to adapt to sea level rise and climate change.
Authorities rescued dozens of motorists stranded by floodwaters in South Carolina’s waterfront community of Georgetown, Georgetown County spokesperson Jackie Broach said.
More than 9 inches of rain fell in the area situated between Charleston and Myrtle Beach since late on Saturday.
‘It’s not just the areas that we normally see flooding, that are flood-prone,’ Broach said. ‘It’s areas that we’re not really expecting to have flooding issues…It’s like a tropical storm, it just happens to be in December.’
The National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mount Holly posted on X: ‘The worst of the rain and winds will overspread the region over the next several hours. The heavy rain will taper off after sunrise Monday, but roads will still be wet, making travel difficult’
The National Weather Service also posted: ‘Showers and storms continue to impact the east coast. Heavy to excessive rainfall could lead to small stream, urban and flash flooding. There is also potential for strong to severe thunderstorms’
Saturday was stormy across most of Florida, forcing outdoor holiday parties to be cancelled. Outside decorations that aren’t battened down were likely to blow away.
The mass of wind and rain is expected to head up the east coast just in time for the start of the holiday travel season.
‘Saturday is a complete washout as this disturbance moves over,’ said George Rizzuto, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Miami.
‘The northern part of Florida will be at risk for some pretty heavy rainfall through the entire day.’
Universal Orlando Resort’s Volcano Bay waterpark shut down for the day due to the weather.
Sybil and Stella, a pair of bearded collies, go for a morning walk in high winds near the intersection of Worth Ave. and S. Ocean Blvd in Miami on Saturday
The Juno Beach Pier is slammed by big waves in Juno Beach, Florida. The National Weather Service forecast sustained winds of 30-40 mph and seas of 10-15 foot waves
Miami’s palm trees look a little bent out of shape in the strong winds. Bob Givehchi, left, and his son Daniel, 8, are seen visiting Miami for the first time, walking past debris and palm trees at Matheson Hammock Park in Coral Gables, Florida
Waves pound the Lake Worth Inlet next to the pump house in Palm Beach Shore, Florida
Visitors to the Southernmost Point buoy take photos as the waves splash in Key West, as squalls of rain and wind batter the Florida Keys
Over the weekend several holiday events across the state were canceled, such as the Christmas boat parade in Indian Rocks Beach along the Gulf Coast. ‘See you next year,’ the town website said.
At least five boat parades were canceled or postponed in South Florida, including the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade in Fort Lauderdale.
Several outdoor holiday events were canceled, from South Florida up into the rest of the peninsula.
It included Saturday’s Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade and at least four other similar events across the region, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
‘The safety and well-being of our participants and spectators are of utmost importance to us,’ Winterfest organizers said on their website. ‘The inclement weather conditions, beyond our control, make it impossible to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.’
Rizzuto said winds of 20 to 30 mph were expected across much of the coastline, with gusts up to 45 mph.
The storm will eventually move off the east coast throughout Monday
Rain is forecast all along the eastern seaboard throughout the weekend