At least 3 dead as dayslong nor’easter brings final surge of coastal flooding to Jersey Shore

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By CNN’s Dakin Andone, CNN Meteorologists Linda Lam, Mary Gilbert, Chris Dolce

Coastal flooding and wind-whipped rain are hitting the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coastline Monday as an impactful nor’easter crawls up the East Coast for a third consecutive day.

At least three deaths have been reported over the last several days as rain and wind impact the northeast.

The storm has already disrupted air travel at major Northeast airports, triggered serious flooding in South Carolina and pushed the ocean onto roads along the mid-Atlantic coast at Monday afternoon’s high tide.

This coastal storm is called a nor’easter because winds blowing from the northeast push water toward the coast, causing it to erode beaches and pile up water and cause flooding.

Here’s the latest:

• Three deaths reported: At least three deaths have been reported in the Northeast due to high winds. On Sunday, a 76-year-old woman was killed in Brooklyn after being hit by a solar panel that had disconnected from a carport structure and blown off the roof, New York City officials said. A small plane crashed in Massachusetts Monday, killing two people and wounding another, as rain and high winds hit the area, the Associated Press reported.
• Dangerous coastal flooding: Water levels Monday afternoon reached moderate flood stage – the second-most severe level – along significant portions of the New Jersey and New York coastlines. “Widespread roadway flooding and closed roads, damage to structures and evacuations are possible,” the National Weather Service warned earlier in the day. Parts of coastal Virginia hit major flood stage Sunday afternoon and dozens of other locales in the mid-Atlantic experienced moderate flooding.
• Travel woes: Rainfall and gusty winds are causing more delays and cancellations at Northeast airports. Most of the more than 400 flight cancellations in or out of the US on Monday involve airports in the region and thousands of flights are delayed nationwide. The storm caused long delays and ground delays at times Sunday at Boston Logan, New York’s John F. Kennedy, Washington DC’s Reagan National, Newark Liberty, and Philadelphia airports, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Thousands of flights across the US were also delayed Sunday.
• Water rescues: Authorities in Georgetown, South Carolina, rescued several motorists trapped Sunday morning by floodwaters after nearly 10 inches of rain fell there in 24 hours Saturday into Sunday, Georgetown County Emergency Services Director Brandon Ellis told CNN. No one was injured. Numerous people in Columbus County, North Carolina, were also rescued from vehicles stalled across flooded roadways, according to local officials.
• Punishing winds: Wind gusts over 50 mph have been observed in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and New York. Around 40,000 customers across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast were without power Monday afternoon, according to Poweroutage.us. Gusty winds will start to ease overnight and into Tuesday.

Days of significant coastal flooding

More than a dozen river gauge locations along the East Coast reached moderate flood stage during Monday afternoon’s high tide. A majority of these measurements were along the New Jersey coast, where a state of emergency is in effect.

Water levels did not rise as high as initially feared in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but the area did peak just shy of moderate flood stage Monday afternoon, ushering in another round of flooding. Water levels climbed into minor flood stage there on Sunday afternoon and shut down Route 40 and Route 30 in both directions in and out of the city. Portions of both roads were closed again Monday afternoon.

Barnegat Bay along the Jersey Shore surged into moderate flood stage Monday afternoon and hit a level it hasn’t reached in more than a decade.

Delaware and New York were also experiencing coastal flooding.

A voluntary evacuation is in effect in Bowers Beach, Delaware. The Delaware National Guard has been activated to help with any storm-related issues in the state, the state’s department of emergency management announced in a news release Sunday.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday night declared a state of emergency in eight counties across the southern part of the state as a coastal flood warning is expected to remain in effect in Long Island, New York City and southern Westchester County through 8 p.m. Monday.

The potent storm caused coastal flooding in the Southeast over the weekend. Portions of North Carolina Highway 12 were closed Sunday due to ocean overwash. The Department of Transportation warned drivers that travel is dangerous in the Outer Banks.

Ongoing beach erosion in the Outer Banks will add to concerns there. At least nine unoccupied homes have collapsed into the Atlantic since September 30 due to intense wave action and erosion from recent storms.

Charleston Harbor in South Carolina reached major flood stage Saturday afternoon and Friday morning, flooding streets there.

When will it end?

Strong winds gusting up to 45 mph will continue to lash the coast as the storm crawls north through Monday. Some of the strongest gusts through Monday afternoon are expected from New Jersey into southern New England.

These wind gusts are as strong as what a tropical storm produces, despite this storm not being classified as one.

Winds should begin to subside Monday night into Tuesday as the storm pulls away from the coast.

Some of the storm’s heaviest rain has already soaked the Carolinas, but the Northeast will continue to see showers Monday.

The nor’easter will finally pull away from the coast Tuesday. High pressure will build in behind the storm, resulting in dry weather and decreasing winds.

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CNN’s Leigh Waldman, Amanda Musa, Caroll Alvarado, Sara Smart and Danya Gainor contributed reporting to this story.