A nor'easter is expected to form off the Carolina coast late this weekend and threaten millions of people along the Atlantic shoreline from Florida to New Jersey, the National Hurricane Center and FOX Weather warned.
The system is likely to produce persistent showers, gusty winds, higher surf and coastal flooding, with impacts concentrated along the coastline as a cold front pushes off and then stalls near the Southeast coast, the FOX Forecast Center said.
The National Hurricane Center said the storm could take on subtropical characteristics over the next seven days if it stalls offshore. FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross cautioned that the odds of such a transition are low.
Bryan Norcross said there is a slight chance the front could dissipate and the system could become somewhat tropical if it meanders near North Carolina or Virginia where ocean waters are unusually warm.
Impacts Evacuations And Broader Risks
Local officials have already issued emergency measures. Dare County declared a local state of emergency and ordered a mandatory evacuation for all visitors on Hatteras Island, where rapid erosion has heightened vulnerability.
Authorities expect North Carolina Highway 12 to close again because of potential flooding and overwash, and a Level 1 out of 4 flash flood risk covers the Outer Banks and areas near the Albemarle and Pamlico sounds, FOX Weather reported.
Last month's powerful nor'easter left extensive beach erosion and property damage across the same coast, and FOX Weather experts said those impacts could be worsened by another coastal storm.
NOAA's recent winter forecast and analysis from FOX Weather tied increased East Coast storm chances to a rapidly strengthening El Niño. Norcross said this El Niño is stronger than any in their experience, suggesting a stormier season ahead.
The FOX Forecast Center urged residents and visitors from Florida through the Carolinas to monitor updates closely as the system's track and intensity remain highly uncertain and could change over the coming days.
