An early-season nor'easter is hammering the East Coast this weekend with major coastal flooding, high surf, strong winds, rain and rip currents from North Carolina to New England, including Boston and the New York City tri-state area.

A full moon is happening today as well, only making the coastal flooding situation worse.

Happening now

The nor'easter's peak fury is lashing the mid-Atlantic and New England, and the flooding will continue to ebb and flow with the tides as the weekend progresses.

Coastal flooding is reaching its peak Saturday with major inundation expected by the National Weather Service from the Jersey shore to North Carolina's northern Outer Banks.

Wind gusts over 50 mph have been clocked across the Northeast, including from southern Cape Cod to parts of Long Island, coastal and southern New Jersey, the Delaware coast and the Delmarva Peninsula.

New York City's JFK Airport reported a gust of 56 mph. These winds have pushed water into numerous roads in the New York metro area and caused major travel delays.

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Those winds have also downed trees and knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The coastal flooding will likely delay power being restored to coastal communities due to roads being impassable.

(LIVE UPDATES: Nor'easter lashes the East Coast)

The map below shows current winds and rain.

(MORE: Nor'easter tracking maps)

Forecast timing

Here's a general timeline of the storm and its impacts over the next several days. Boston is in the area of greatest concern for flooding and is now in a flood watch until 2 a.m. Tuesday. More of the breakdown of the timing for the city as well as the entire region is below:

• Saturday: Rain and strong winds will continue from Virginia to Maine, including New York City, Philadelphia and Boston. The heaviest rain is expected from southern New Jersey to northern Massachusetts. High tide coastal flooding from New England to at least parts of the mid-Atlantic coast will occur again in the evening.
• Sunday: The nor'easter should meander back and forth just offshore, potentially briefly moving onshore and back into the water. Rain should linger over much of the Northeast, especially in southern New England. Again, the heaviest rainfall is expected from southern New Jersey to northern Massachusetts and includes New York City and Boston. Strong winds may linger into early morning from southern New England to the Jersey shore before diminishing in the afternoon. Some coastal flooding may linger during high tides in a few spots.
• Monday: The weakened nor'easter will continue to sit right on or just off the coast, with rain showers and some gusty winds lingering over New England, Long Island and the Hudson Valley, including New York City. Heavier rainfall is expected for Boston, but this rain shouldn't be as intense as Saturday and Sunday.

Potential impacts

Coastal flooding

The map below shows coastal flood warnings that have been issued by the National Weather Service. These include Atlantic City, Long Island, the Norfolk metro area, Ocean City (Maryland and New Jersey), downtown Boston, Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

The most significant coastal flooding will be from the northern Outer Banks of North Carolina to the Jersey shore, including the Virginia Tidewater, as well as Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay. In these areas, water will be about 2-4 feet higher than normal at high tide.

(WATCH: Nor'easter waves slam stilt homes on the Outer Banks)

The highest water levels will happen with Saturday's high tides, boosted by Saturday's full moon. The moon has a direct impact on the tides, and when we are in a full moon, it makes the high tides even higher.

With some of the highest astronomical tides of the month ongoing, this nor'easter's coastal flooding is only exacerbated. Lingering modest coastal flooding is also possible with Sunday's high tides.

Given this repeated battering from high surf, beach erosion is expected along stretches of these beaches, potentially reaching extreme levels for some areas.

(MORE: Coastal flooding safety)

At least minor coastal high tide flooding will also develop in parts of New England and last through much of the weekend.

Rain

One bit of good fortune with this storm is that its rainfall is being spread out over several days, rather than arriving in one short deluge.

While we expect the most rain to fall from southern New England to New Jersey, those rainfall totals in the map below will be stretched out through Monday.

That means any rainfall flooding should be mainly local in nature in some of the traditional urban trouble spots.

That rainfall could also add to any coastal flooding at high tide through Sunday.

Winds

High wind warnings are in effect for parts of southeast New England, including Boston and Providence, and also along coasts of Delaware and New Jersey and for much of Long Island. In these areas, gusts up to 60 mph are possible into Sunday.

In these areas, tree damage and power outages are most likely. Ground soaked from the nor'easter's rain, as well as trees that still have leaves, will only enhance this threat of tree damage and outages.

Otherwise, occasional gusts from 40 to 50 mph are possible from North Carolina's Outer Banks to other parts of coastal New England. 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 in or to the Northeast this weekend:

• Northeast major-hub airports: Delays are likely at Boston-Logan and at NYC's three major airports through the weekend.
• Roads: Some downed trees or tree limbs and localized flash flooding are possible in southeast and coastal New England, the New York City metro and New Jersey. The I-95 corridor will be slick, so take precautions and expect significant road delays, especially with the NFL matchups Sunday. Avoid coastal areas from northern North Carolina to southeast New England around any high tides into the weekend.

(MORE: Travel tracker)

(MORE: Nor'easter impacts on Major League Baseball's weekend)

Recap

Some gusts topped 40 mph along the coast from southern Massachusetts down to the Virginia Tidewater Wednesday as the storm system started to develop in its early stages.

And those persistent winds piled up 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's morning and evening high tides.

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

Widespread gusts of 30-45 mph were ongoing as of Thursday evening, with peak gusts over 45 mph reported along the coast of North Carolina.

Those persistent winds were piling up water from the ocean and bays along parts of the coast. Water levels reached major flood stage during high tide Thursday evening.

A 16-mile stretch of North Carolina Highway 12 on the Outer Banks is closed in both directions due to ocean overwash. Specifically, the road is closed from Sea Oats Drive to Oregon Inlet Road in Dare County.

Rising waters forced the cancellation of the Oceans Calling festival in Maryland.

Saturday afternoon brought 25 river gauges to major flood stage during high tide and also brought widespread gusts of 40-60 mph.

Rainfall of 1-3 inches of rain has been reported so far.

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.