Seven dead, streets flooded, cities paralyzed by massive East Coast storm

At least five people died in the storm, all killed by falling trees, authorities said. Airports on the East Coast have been experiencing delays and ground stops, the Federal Aviation Administration said. He said this weekend’s flooding could be on par with the January 4 storm, but it is expected to be more intense, as the flooding will last for three tide cycles rather than one.

Storm-driven waves are breaching sea walls in MA where the nor’easter is hitting hardest.

More than 1 million homes and businesses were without power across the region, with the largest number of outages spread across Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan and NY state, utilities said. “People in these homes need to plan for a prolonged outage”, he explained. “This is a multi-day restoration event”.

Streets in East Boston and nearby towns were flooded on Friday amid high winds and surging waves caused by the second windstorm dubbed a “bomb cyclone” wreaking havoc across the U.S. East Coast in two months.

The storm’s impact waned in the southern part of the coast, but forecasted wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour still prompted building closures and delays in some areas. MA emergency officials said tides “will be astronomically high” in the next few days.

Heavy rains and damaging winds also led to the cancellation of more than 2600 United States flights.

At the height of the strong winds, New York’s LaGuardia airport stopped all arrivals and departures and JFK International Airport experienced periodic interruptions of service. This is a risky storm, and evacuation of some neighborhoods may be necessary.

The National Weather Service says that flood warnings will remain in effect in MA until Sunday morning, when the storm is expected to move on.

New York City is seeing a mix of rain, snow, sleet and winds.

In Ocean City, Del., high winds knocked a gaping hole in a seaside hotel, exposing the stairwell.

The nor’easter storm known as Riley is undergoing a rapid intensification process called ” bombogenesis”. High tide in Portland is 11:07 a.m. and sections of the commercial waterfront and Marginal Way are expected to be submerged shortly after the morning rush hour.

The coastal flooding is the result of a long fetch of easterly winds, reaching hurricane force (75 miles per hour), pointed squarely at the north-south coast of eastern MA. “Three or maybe even four high-tide cycles can really cause a lot of damage”.

It tweeted on Friday that its Northeast Corridor service was “temporarily suspended due to multiple weather-related issues”. It sent massive waves crashing into roads and neighborhoods.

The problems carried over into Saturday, with hundreds of flights canceled into and out of NY and Boston, according to the website.

Meanwhile, police in NY reported that several barges in the Hudson River broke loose during the storm.

Snowstorm Emma is now battering Britain with strong winds and snow causing more chaos for motorists and commuters.

The severe winter weather has already pounded an area stretching from OH to NY and Washington, D.C. and as far south as North Carolina.

“Heavy, wet snow fell overnight and snow will continue into the evening hours tonight”, Cuomo said in a statement, describing conditions statewide.