A slow-moving nor'easter left tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power across the Northeast on Sunday, Sept. 27, while Coastal Flood Warnings remained in effect from Norfolk, Virginia, to New York City, Long Island and coastal Connecticut. More than 90,000 utility customers across six states were without electricity at a Sunday morning reporting cutoff, The Watchers reported, citing PowerOutage.com data, with the largest counts in New York and Connecticut. Totals shift by the hour, and some Sunday tallies put the number above 100,000.

In Brooklyn, a 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority employee was killed at about 3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday when a tree fell on him in a parking area in East New York. Investigators had not determined whether storm winds brought the tree down. About two hours later, four people suffered minor injuries when another tree fell at a Brooklyn playground, according to the New York City Fire Department.

For households, the storm is now less a wind event than a water-and-trees event. Rain and tidal flooding could continue in some areas into Monday, with broader improvement expected Tuesday. The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, warned that saturated ground, strong winds and trees still carrying their leaves could bring more tree and power-line damage.

Coastal Flood Warnings Hold Through Sunday Afternoon and Evening

Coastal Flood Warnings covered New York City, Long Island and parts of coastal Connecticut through 6 p.m. EDT Sunday. Forecasters expected about 2 to 2.5 feet of water above ground in vulnerable waterfront areas, locally up to 3 feet, with moderate to locally major flooding possible along the back bays of southern Nassau and southwestern Suffolk counties. Breaking waves of 6 to 9 feet were forecast on exposed Long Island beaches.

Along the New Jersey and Delaware coast, warnings ran through 2 p.m. EDT Sunday, with 1 to 2 feet of inundation expected in low-lying shoreline areas, breaking waves of 6 to 12 feet, beach erosion and possible dune breaching. In Virginia, the City of Norfolk reported continuing roadway flooding and warned that some roads could become impassable around high tide, with its Coastal Flood Warning in effect through 2 p.m. EDT Sunday.

Wind has eased but not ended. High Wind Warnings on Long Island and in southeastern Connecticut were replaced by Wind Advisories Sunday morning, with gusts of 40 to 45 mph still possible near the coast, while High Wind Warnings for coastal Monmouth and Ocean counties in New Jersey ran through noon. An NWS public information statement listed a peak gust of 61 mph at Farmingdale Airport on Long Island on Saturday, and 56 mph at both John F. Kennedy International Airport and Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Outages Concentrated on Long Island and in Connecticut

At the Sunday morning cutoff, about 37,450 customers were without power in New York and 29,740 in Connecticut. Suffolk County alone accounted for more than 21,000 of the New York outages, and Eversource reported more than 27,000 Connecticut customers in the dark. On Saturday, outages topped 100,000 customers at one point, with more than 119,000 counted earlier that day, according to a Reuters report that also cited more than 400 canceled flights.

New Jersey remains under a state of emergency in Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Salem counties, and Connecticut activated its Emergency Operations Center on Sept. 25. Preliminary NWS totals through Saturday evening included 2.85 inches of rain at Spring Lake Heights, 2.76 inches at Neptune and 2.56 inches at Brick, New Jersey.

Southern New England is still in line for 2 to 4 inches of rain, with isolated totals of 5 to 7 inches, and Flood Watches continue in parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island through late Monday. The greatest burden falls on back-bay and barrier-island neighborhoods, drivers who use coastal roads at high tide, households that depend on electric medical equipment, and homeowners with large trees near their houses.

A Slow Storm With Staying Power

The storm's center sat south of Long Island and east of New Jersey early Sunday. Forecasters expected it to drift west toward New Jersey, stall near the coast Sunday night, then move slowly east on Monday while weakening. That slow motion is what stretched the event across so many high tides, with water from one tide sometimes still draining when the next arrived.

Nor'easters can strike in any month but are most common from fall through early spring. This one arrived while trees are still in full leaf, which gives wind more surface to push against and helps explain the number of downed limbs, the Associated Press reported. The New York City Parks Department received more than 350 reports of fallen trees by Saturday evening.

Several numbers remain preliminary. The cause of the fatal tree fall is under investigation, outage totals change by the hour, and FlightAware's count of 451 U.S. flight cancellations Saturday covered all causes nationwide, not only the storm. Full damage assessments have not been released.

Staying Safe as the Water Recedes

Treat every downed line as live, stay well away, and report it to your utility or 911. Do not drive through flooded roads, especially near the coast, where saltwater can disable a vehicle and hide washed-out pavement. Avoid walking or parking under large trees while gusts continue, and run generators only outdoors and far from windows to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Before cleanup, photograph damage for insurance. Standard homeowners policies generally exclude flood damage, so residents with water in their homes will need a separate flood policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private insurer to be covered. Follow county emergency management offices for shelters and road closures, and check your utility's outage map for restoration estimates.

Recovery Checkpoints Into Tuesday

The next milestones are the expiration of Sunday's Coastal Flood Warnings, utility restoration estimates, and the storm's slow exit on Monday. NWS offices expect the system to weaken gradually near the New Jersey coast through Monday, with rain and coastal flooding possible in some areas before broader improvement Tuesday.

The latest data show a weakening but still disruptive storm, with the greatest remaining risk along tidal shorelines and wherever trees and lines are down. Residents should rely on local officials and utilities rather than social media rumors as cleanup begins.

What Readers Want to Know

Which areas are under Coastal Flood Warnings?

As of Sunday morning, warnings covered New York City, Long Island and coastal Connecticut through 6 p.m. EDT, plus the New Jersey and Delaware coast and Norfolk, Virginia, through 2 p.m. EDT.

How many people lost power?

More than 90,000 customers were without power across six states at a Sunday morning cutoff, with the largest totals in New York and Connecticut. Outages topped 100,000 at one point on Saturday.

Was anyone killed in the storm?

A 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority employee died after a tree fell on him in Brooklyn on Saturday. Investigators had not determined whether the wind caused the tree to fall.

How strong were the winds?

The NWS recorded gusts of 61 mph at Farmingdale on Long Island and 56 mph at JFK Airport and Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Saturday.

When will conditions improve?

The storm is expected to weaken near the New Jersey coast through Monday, with rain and coastal flooding possible in some areas before broader improvement Tuesday.

Does homeowners insurance cover flood damage from the nor'easter?

Standard homeowners policies generally exclude flooding. Coverage for water entering a home typically requires a separate flood insurance policy.