A nor'easter will bring coastal flooding, high surf, wind and rain to parts of the East Coast through the weekend, with impacts from North Carolina and the Virginia Tidewater, to the Jersey Shore and New England.

Happening Now

The nor'easter hasn't yet gained strength. But the pressure difference between low pressure off the East Coast and high pressure over eastern Canada is driving gusty winds along the Eastern Seaboard.

Some gusts are topping 40 mph along the coast from southern New Jersey and Delaware to the Virginia Tidewater.

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And those persistent winds are piling water from the ocean and bays along parts of the coast.

Minor to moderate coastal flooding was reported from parts of the Jersey Shore to southeast Virginia during Wednesday morning's high tide.

Flooding was reported Wednesday morning in downtown Norfolk, Smithfield and Suffolk, Virginia, according to the National Weather Service.

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Forecast timing

Here's a general timeline of the storm and its impacts over the next several days.

• Through Thursday: Coastal flooding at high tide, gusty winds from New Jersey to northern Outer Banks of North Carolina
• Friday: Rain, possibly heavy, stronger winds, and coastal flooding arrive in parts of southeast New England, Long Island; coastal flooding at high tide, gusty winds continue from New Jersey to Virginia Tidewater, northern North Carolina.
• Saturday: Locally heavy rain, strong winds possible over much of coastal, southern New England. High tide coastal flooding from New England to at least parts of the mid-Atlantic coast once again. Some at least light bands of rain possible as far west as Hudson Valley, New Jersey.
• Sunday: Nor'easter weakens, but rain showers, some gusty winds could linger over much of New England, possibly the Hudson Valley.
• Monday: Some showers could linger in parts of New England and upstate New York.

Potential impacts

Coastal flooding

The map below shows the severity of coastal flooding forecast at high tide through Friday night or early Saturday, color coded by severity.

The most significant coastal flooding will be from the southern New Jersey shore to the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina, including the Virginia Tidewater, as well as Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay.

This flooding will happen for multiple high tides, possibly five or more, into at least early this weekend in these areas.

Given this repeated battering from high surf, beach erosion is possible along stretches of these beaches.

At least minor coastal high tide flooding will also develop in parts of New England by late Friday into the weekend.

Heavy rain

We expect the heaviest rain to fall over coastal New England from Friday through the weekend.

This could lead to flash flooding, especially in urban areas, including the Boston metro.

It could also compound any coastal flooding at high tide in parts of southeast New England.

Much lighter rainfall accumulations are expected farther west, in the light green colors in the map below.

In the New York City metro, the heaviest rainfall is expected in eastern Long Island, with less rain farther west in the New Jersey suburbs.

Winds

The strongest winds with this nor'easter are expected this weekend from coastal and southeast New England to eastern Long Island, with some gusts over 50 mph possible, at times.

In these areas, some tree damage and power outages are most likely, including the Boston metro, Providence and Cape Cod.

Otherwise, occasional gusts from 40 to 50 mph are possible farther down the coast from the Jersey Shore to Delaware, and the Virginia Tidewater. Some sporadic power outages and tree limb damage are also possible in these areas.

Travel impact

Here are some tips to keep in mind if you plan to travel to the Northeast into this weekend:

• Northeast major hub airports: Delays are most likely at Boston-Logan this weekend and are possible, at times, at NYC's three major airports through the weekend.
• Roads: Some downed trees or tree limbs and flash flooding are possible in southeast and coastal New England, as well as eastern Long Island. Avoid coastal areas from northern North Carolina to southeast New England around any high tides into the weekend.

What is a nor’easter?

You might think it is too early for a nor’easter, but the criteria for a nor’easter are met more often than you would think.

A nor’easter simply means that the winds blow into an area from the northeast. For the Northeast, that usually means an area of low pressure is just off the coast, which brings the winds in this direction. 

(More: What is a nor’easter?)

Most people usually think of snow and ice with nor’easters and that is because nor’easters do tend to occur more in the late fall and winter. 

The most notable nor’easters tend to bring heavy snow because these lows move up along the Gulf Stream, tapping into the warm ocean. This warm, moist air then clashes with the cold air over the Northeast to create heavy snowfall. Fortunately, this one is occurring way earlier, so it is all rain this time.