The nor’easter that began hammering South Jersey on Saturday settled in Sunday with a ferocity the Shore hasn’t seen in years. Flooding in Atlantic City reached levels not recorded since Superstorm Sandy. Two feet of water covered 17th Avenue in North Wildwood between New York and Delaware avenues. And more than 1,400 Atlantic City Electric customers were without power by Sunday evening, with restoration timelines unclear.
Tens of millions of people from the mid-Atlantic coast through Maine are in the path of the storm, but the Jersey Shore is bearing the worst of it. A high wind warning remains in effect for Cape May County and the coastal strip, with gusts measured at 50 to 60 miles per hour. Officials are urging residents to stay off the roads — not just because they are wet, but because some of them are simply gone.
What’s Happening on the Ground
In Manasquan, borough officials ordered a voluntary evacuation for residents in non-elevated structures along the waterfront. In Sea Bright — the narrow barrier borough pinched between the Atlantic Ocean and the Shrewsbury River — water has covered streets and rendered several blocks impassable. Photographs circulating on social media show storm surge inundating parking lots, first floors, and low-lying roads from Cape May County north through Monmouth County.
Marty Pagliughi, director of emergency management for Cape May County, put it plainly: “It is a dangerous storm because of the high winds.” His county is under a high wind warning that is not expected to lift until Monday.
"It is a dangerous storm because of the high winds." — Marty Pagliughi, Cape May County Director of Emergency Management, September 27, 2026
Power Outages Across the Region
More than 100,000 customers across the mid-Atlantic and New England lost power through Sunday, according to NBC News. In New Jersey alone, Atlantic City Electric reported more than 1,400 customers without service as of Sunday evening. PSE&G and JCP&L crews are also working to restore downed lines across South Jersey and the Shore region, though the continuing wind is hampering crews from safely lifting equipment.
Residents are asked not to approach downed power lines under any circumstances and to assume all lines are live.
Storm Surge and Coastal Flooding
The storm surge in some areas reached two to three feet above normal high tide, according to AccuWeather. Atlantic City recorded its highest inundation since Sandy in 2012 — a benchmark that waterfront residents know all too well. The flooding is not the product of rainfall alone but of wind-driven water being pushed against the coast over multiple tidal cycles, compounding with each incoming tide.
Rain showers are expected to continue off and on through Monday morning, meaning the risk of additional flooding has not passed. Tidal flooding events overnight Sunday into Monday are possible along the same vulnerable corridors.
What to Do Right Now
Emergency management officials ask all South Jersey residents to: avoid all coastal roads and flooded streets, report downed power lines to Atlantic City Electric at 1-800-642-3780 or to PSE&G at 1-800-436-7734, check on elderly or disabled neighbors who may need assistance, and monitor your county’s emergency management page and local radio for road closures and shelter updates.
If your home takes on water or you believe you are in danger, call 911 immediately.
The Neighborhood Gazette will continue to monitor and report on storm recovery across our 47 communities through Monday. Stay safe, South Jersey.
Sources: NBC News, CBS News Philadelphia, NBC Philadelphia, CNN, AccuWeather, 6ABC Philadelphia, NPR. Published September 27, 2026.