Videos emerging from Surf City, New Jersey, showed streets transformed into waterways as a powerful nor’easter pushed storm surge into Long Beach Island. The flooding left roads impassable and threatened homes as water levels continued rising.
Residents shared images and videos Friday showing waves washing across streets. The flooding comes as the National Weather Service continues warning of life-threatening coastal flooding along parts of the Mid-Atlantic and New England.
Roads disappear under floodwaters
Deep Dive
What areas are expected to experience the most flooding from the nor’easter in New Jersey?
How do high tides during a full moon affect the flooding risk in Surf City, NJ?
What preparation steps should residents take during a nor’easter like the one impacting Surf City?
Videos posted by residents showed rapidly worsening conditions across Surf City.
One X user wrote, “11:00 update in Surf City, NJ. Many roads now completely impassable and yes those are waves on city streets."
Another widely shared update reported that 2 to 4 feet of water had flooded roadways. “2–4 feet of water is flooding roadways and entering homes in Surf City, New Jersey, as coastal/storm-surge flooding from Manahawkin Bay continues pushing water into Long Beach Island," the user wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Another widely shared update reported that 2 to 4 feet of water had flooded roadways. “2–4 feet of water is flooding roadways and entering homes in Surf City, New Jersey, as coastal/storm-surge flooding from Manahawkin Bay continues pushing water into Long Beach Island," the user wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Another weather account described the flooding as an “absolute mess." The post warned that residential flooding had likely begun as the bay overflowed into neighbourhood streets.
The user wrote, “Absolute mess in progress and will worsen here in surf city beach #njwx Road COMPLETELY submerged and unpassable in rapid flooding from the bay. Homes started to likely flood as flood waters are rising rapidly. Terrible situation developing for residents.”
One user noted that Saturday’s flooding comes just before a full moon, which can produce higher-than-normal tides. “Surf City NJ is starting to get the Nor’Easter, this is going to be a bad one. The Full moon tomorrow night with have maximum tidal surge. The storm is going to stall for a long time raining and high surf driven by high winds.”
Nor’easter continues battering the Northeast
The flooding in Surf City is part of a much larger storm affecting across the US East Coast.
According to the National Weather Service, the strengthening nor’easter is bringing heavy rain, damaging winds, dangerous surf and widespread coastal flooding from New Jersey through New England.
Forecasters expect some of the heaviest rainfall to fall across coastal New Jersey, Long Island, Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts. Strong onshore winds will also cause large waves capable of causing additional beach erosion and flooding.