Nor’easter Could Bring Heavy Rain, Strong Winds To NYC This Weekend

NEW YORK CITY — A nor'easter is likely to bring heavy rainfall, whipping winds and widespread coastal flooding to New York City over the weekend, forecasters warn.

According to the National Weather Service, the storm will sweep up the coast, impacting New York City on Friday and continuing through Saturday, potentially during the Global Citizen music festival in Central Park, which has no rain date and is set for Saturday.

Three years ago, a storm hit during the annual festival, causing significant damage to the park, with a portion of it closed for months for repairs. This year, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Lenny Kravitz and John Legend are slated to perform.

The storm is expected to pass slightly offshore, so the city will technically be on the outskirts of the storm system. However, flooding on the city's shores during high tides is expected to be significant, AccuWeather meteorologists said.

"This storm may be remembered for its destructive coastal flooding and severe beach erosion, especially along eastern Long Island and the Massachusetts coast," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said.

The New York City Department of Emergency Management said that rainfall could total between 1 and 1.5 inches, and gusts of 30 to 40 mph are expected late Friday into Saturday morning, with isolated gusts near 45 mph.

For now, the National Weather Service is predicting a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain this weekend.

"While this storm is expected to pass offshore and keep the heaviest rain east of New York City, New Yorkers should still prepare for gusty winds, rain and coastal flooding this weekend," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. "If you live near the coast, move your car to higher ground or away from streets that regularly flood, and secure anything outside that could be picked up by strong winds."

See below for the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. Breezy, with a northeast wind 17 to 21 mph.

Thursday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Breezy, with a north wind 17 to 22 mph.

Friday: A 30 percent chance of showers after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Breezy, with a north wind 20 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.

Friday night: A 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Breezy, with a north wind 23 to 25 mph.

Saturday: Showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Breezy, with a north wind 22 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday night: Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 60. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Sunday: Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Sunday night: A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.