We're Not Out of the Woods Yet

There is a particular quiet that follows a storm—not the silence of peace, but the silence of exhaustion, of water slowly draining from streets that were rivers, of trees that fell and will not rise again. In New Jersey, that quiet arrived on Monday, but it came with a caveat: the nor'easter was leaving, but its effects were not.

The slow-moving storm that battered the Northeast for days finally began tracking away from New Jersey on Monday, weakening offshore as it moved toward the Gulf of Maine. But coastal flood warnings remained in effect for parts of Ocean County, with advisories continuing for the New York City region and Long Island. Forecasters warned of 1 to 2 feet of inundation in vulnerable areas and flooding around multiple high-tide cycles .

The storm's toll was substantial. More than 200,000 homes and businesses lost power at its peak, and hundreds of flights were canceled. One death has been tied to the storm: Leighton Brown, a 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority employee, was killed when a tree fell on him in Brooklyn on Saturday . Winds reached 70 to 80 mph in multiple states, and officials in Atlantic City said the nor'easter caused the worst beach erosion since Hurricane Sandy in 2012 .

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill urged residents to remain vigilant. "We're not out of the woods yet," she said in a post on X, warning of more flooding and asking residents to check on their neighbors . In Sea Bright, each high tide brought a new round of flooding. "It's not like a one-time occurrence," said Caroline Virenius, whose garage filled with about a foot of water. "It's getting wet again and again" .

For some residents, the storm brought reminders of Sandy—and evidence that preparations had made a difference. Bernard Dowd, who waded through tidal water to reach his Sea Bright home, noted that new rules requiring homeowners to raise the height of their homes after Sandy likely prevented worse damage. But he also noticed that many neighbors had lined their homes and businesses with sandbags—something he wished he had done. "I'm always thinking they are hyping the storm," he said .

The storm was the first of what could be several along the East Coast this fall, forecasters noted, because of an El Niño climate pattern disrupting this year's weather. The National Weather Service predicted the storm would weaken over Sunday night, with local heavy rain in parts of New England and the mid-Atlantic. But officials warned that high tide late Monday could potentially bring more flooding .

Improving weather is expected beginning Tuesday, followed by a significant warmup. Forecasts show temperatures rebounding into the 70s by midweek and potentially reaching the upper 70s to lower 80s later in the week, after several days stuck in the 50s and low 60s . For the coastal communities of New Jersey, the cleanup will take longer than the warmup. The water will recede. The sandbags will be collected. The trees will be removed. But the memory of a storm that lingered, and the question of how many more will come, will remain.

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Sources: Bergen Record, NBC News, Raleigh News & Observer, 6abc Philadelphia