An early-season nor’easter lashed towns along the Jersey Shore on Saturday, flooding roads and submerging cars as heavy winds and rain pushed waves far past beaches.
Firefighters trudged through water nearly up to their knees in Atlantic City, N.J. A family visiting Wildwood picked up their rolling suitcases to avoid floodwaters while leaving town. At least one man put his dog on a kayak.
The mayor of Manasquan, a borough along the New Jersey coast, had asked residents in low-lying homes to evacuate ahead of the storm. By late afternoon on Saturday, coastal areas like Asbury Park and Point Pleasant Beach, where summer tourism has slowed, had been doused in over two inches of rain, more than in many other places hit by the storm as it traveled along the East Coast.
Power outages in New Jersey peaked at more than 30,000 around noon. Emergency workers evacuated about 20 people from a hotel in Edgewater where waters had reached waist level. No deaths caused by the storm have been reported in the state.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill said there was a lull in storm conditions on Saturday afternoon but warned that “this storm is not over.” Wind gusts on the coast exceeded 50 miles per hour on Saturday and are expected to be strong again on Sunday.
The nor’easter has not come close to the deadly toll brought by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, but the whistling winds and flooded roads certainly brought back memories for some residents.
“Now that was real destruction,” Matthew Doherty, 53, said of Hurricane Sandy as he watched water overflow from the lagoon near his house in Belmar on Saturday. “We understand that when you live at sea level, there are times when storms are going to come out of the ocean,” he added.
In the borough of Sea Bright, many homes have been elevated since Hurricane Sandy. But Jennifer Moran, 58, said the flooding on Saturday still destroyed the contents of her garage.
“There were boats on our block rescuing people,” Ms. Moran said. “We got our antique car to higher ground just in time.”
Anjelica Lena, 41, cleaned out water that had flooded her oceanside restaurant nearby.
“We’ve got bad memories of Sandy,” Ms. Lena said. “But we still have all the benefits of being here. It’s a beautiful place to own a business.”
Only one bar was open along the Seaside Heights boardwalk as its famous Ferris wheel kept spinning with nobody riding it.
Beaches were mostly empty but had attracted some stragglers who wanted to see the waves pound the shore.
“Why are people drawn to these storms?” said James Zarrillo, 63, a lifelong resident of Seaside Heights. “It’s Mother Nature, I guess.”
Ron Carr, 55, joined onlookers along the Jersey Shore during a pit stop on his road trip from Massachusetts to Maryland.
“It’s so beautiful right now. The destruction through the waves is amazing,” Mr. Carr said. “It’s awesome. It’s fall on the Atlantic. Just embrace it.”
High school football games and an AC/DC concert scheduled for Friday night at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford were postponed. But people seemed to be getting a thrill in other ways.
“It’s fun to experience this,” said Mr. Doherty’s 12-year-old son, Seamus. “It’s the biggest storm I’ve even been a part of.”
Amy Graff, Alex Pena and Isabella Kwai contributed reporting.
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