Thousands without power, roads flood in New Jersey as first major signs of noreaster take shape

Thousands were without power on the US East Coast on Friday night, while roads were flooding in some coastal New Jersey communities in the first major signs of a powerful nor’easter expected to create dangerous conditions through the weekend.Tens of millions of people are in the path of the storm already beginning to lash the region with strong winds and rain.Dangerous flooding is expected along the Mid-Atlantic coast, particularly near New Jersey and Delaware, according to the National Weather Service.In the coastal New Jersey borough of Manasquan, as the sky darkened, water inundated some roads.A voluntary evacuation had been issued earlier in some low-lying areas of the community.Mayor Mike Mangan said he expected “a lot of water in the streets for a long time.”Concerts were canceled, along with dozens of flights going into airports in Boston, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Friday and Saturday.Several airlines were offering to waive some change or cancellation fees for some East Coast flights through the weekend.Brian Kelly, the mayor of the tiny New Jersey beach community Sea Bright, said the borough is bracing for winds up to 50 mph and flooding that could reach up to 6 feet on some streets.Officials expect the flooding to start Saturday and worsen by midday.“It’s going to be worse than average.We do have probably one or two flooding events a year, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I think this one will be closer to an Irene-scale flooding event,” Kelly said, referencing the 2011 storm that caused major flooding in the Northeast.

“I hope I’m wrong, but that’s my gut feeling.”Kelly hopes hundreds of residents living in low-lying areas will consider evacuating.He said the town will open its recreation center for evacuees.Peak wind gusts could approach 60 to 65 mph on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket on Friday night and Saturday, compared with about 50 to 55 mph around Boston and 35 to 40 mph farther inland, according to Ma...