Coastal flood warnings stretch from North Carolina's Outer Banks to eastern Long Island as the strengthening nor'easter pushes north, with Manhattan under warning and Boston under coastal flood watches.
Wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph are already hitting much of the coast, and eastern Long Island to coastal New England could see gusts up to 60 mph Friday and Saturday, raising risks of tree damage and power outages.
Boston faces the heaviest rain through the weekend, with urban flash flooding possible, while New York City is expected to see lighter totals except on eastern Long Island.
Repeated high-tide flooding is expected into at least early weekend, with the worst impacts from the northern Outer Banks to southern New Jersey; a 16-mile stretch of Highway 12 on the Outer Banks is already closed by ocean overwash.
Travel disruptions are likely to build, especially at Boston Logan and at times across New York City's three major airports, even as the storm weakens only slowly and may linger into Monday.