State of emergency declared as storm slams East Coast with winds, waves and floodwaters
Waves chewed away beaches, storm surge flooded coastal roads, and more than 1,700 flights were delayed as a major storm blasted the East Coast over the weekend.
AccuWeather’s Bill Wadell is in Atlantic City where flooding is expected later today during high tide.
A powerful coastal storm tracked up the East Coast over the weekend and into the start of the new week, bringing pounding surf, heavy rain and gusty winds that flooded streets, eroded beaches and snarled travel from the Carolinas to New England. The storm's strongest impacts were felt along the shoreline, where storm surge sent seawater spilling into communities and waves chewed away at dunes.
"This is pretty intense, it's not like usual," long-time Virginia Beach residents Lana and Clarence Cooke told AccuWeather on Sunday. "The most unusual thing right now is the water levels. Roadways are pretty bad."
A powerful storm brings coastal flooding to the Jersey Shore on Sunday afternoon, with high tide sending water over docks and into streets in Avalon, New Jersey, United States on October 12, 2025. (Photo by Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
AccuWeather referred to the storm as a tropical wind and rainstorm to raise public awareness of the impacts that were predicted. The storm was not given a name by the National Hurricane Center, although in some areas it felt like a tropical storm.
Tropical-storm-force wind gusts were clocked along the mid-Atlantic coast, including a gust of 56 mph near Atlantic City, New Jersey, and a 60-mph gust at a buoy near Long Island.
New Jersey declared a state of emergency and Delaware activated its National Guard as the storm gained strength, according to The Associated Press.
Coastal flooding stretched from North Carolina to New York, where storm surge reached 3 to 4 feet in some areas, including 3.12 feet in Cape May, New Jersey, and 3.23 feet in Kings Point, New York. Waves and rising water swamped roads and damaged property along the immediate coast.
Zachary Iscol, Commissioner of New York City Emergency Management, joined AccuWeather Early to discuss how the city is ensuring the safety of its transportation networks and deploying life safety crews in preparation for the tropical rainstorm moving up the East Coast.
The storm also disrupted air travel across the busy Northeast corridor, contributing to more than 1,700 flight delays, according to FlightAware.
By Monday morning, rain had spread across most of the Northeast, slowing the commute in several cities. Around 45,000 electric customers were without power, including 13,000 in New Jersey. While the heaviest impacts were confined to coastal areas, the rainfall was a welcome sight for inland communities struggling with worsening drought conditions since late summer.
North Carolina houses on the brink of collapse
Multiple storms have blasted the Outer Banks of North Carolina this hurricane season, accelerating beach erosion and causing several houses to collapse into the ocean.
More buildings are at risk, and for some structures, it's only a matter of time before they fall into the turbulent surf.
Houses at risk of collapse are seen in the midst of a storm, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Buxton, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Similar to recent storms, Highway 12 in the Outerbanks was overwhelmed with sand and ocean water, making it impassable. Crews will work to clear the highway and reopen it early this week.
Highway 12 in North Carolina's Outer Banks before (top) and during (bottom) the storm. (NCDOT)
Conditions are expected to improve across the East Coast as the storm moves out to sea.
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