US Northeast storm cancels flights, cuts power

A powerful Nor'easter battered the northeastern United States on Saturday, cancelling hundreds of flights, cutting power to tens of thousands of customers and raising warnings of major coastal flooding.

The National Weather Service said the storm was expected to bring major coastal flooding to the Mid-Atlantic Coast over multiple high tide cycles through the weekend. It warned people in low-lying shore areas to prepare for significant flooding, including roads underwater and impacts to homes and businesses.

More than 75,000 customers in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts were without power as of 10:00 am Saturday, according to poweroutage.com.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said coastal areas of New York City and Long Island were in the storm's path, with up to six inches of rain expected on Long Island over the next few days and waves as high as 20 feet possible in some areas.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned residents about strong wind gusts and possible downed power lines, saying: “Don't travel if you don't have to.”

The storm forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights, including 130 at Boston's Logan airport, according to Flight Aware. JetBlue, United and American issued travel alerts allowing passengers to change flights without fees.

Major events were also called off, including the Global Citizen and All Things Go festivals in New York, Oceans Calling in Maryland and Ed Sheeran concerts near Boston. The United Nations urged media outlets covering the General Assembly in New York to clear outdoor broadcasting equipment because of strong winds.

About five inches of rain was forecast in parts of Massachusetts, including Boston, while wind gusts could reach 65 miles per hour along the New England coast. Some coastal areas of North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey had already seen flooding earlier in the week.