Powerful nor'easter slams East Coast as 60mph gusts and torrential rain threaten to swamp communities with more than 40MILLION Americans in its path

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source A powerful nor'easter with 40 million Americans in its path has finally smashed into the East Coast on Friday night, sending seawater surging through streets and over seawalls. asserted

The first dramatic impacts were already unfolding after dark, with roads transformed into rivers from New Jersey to Maryland while raging surf crashed ashore in Rhode Island. asserted

Thousands of customers were without power and hundreds of flights had been canceled as the sprawling storm began battering the coastline. asserted

Forecasters are warning some of the worst conditions were still to come. asserted

A State of Emergency is in effect for New York City, coastal areas of New Jersey, Long Island, and Westchester County, New York, ahead of the strengthening and approaching storm. asserted

In Narragansett, Rhode Island, dramatic footage showed coastal flooding already underway around Narragansett Pier. asserted

Seawater could be seen rushing over the seawall and spilling onto Ocean Drive, while pounding surf reached the Narragansett Town Beach parking lot inundating it. uncertain

Farther south on New Jersey's Long Beach Island, residential streets disappeared beneath floodwater as the Atlantic surged inland. asserted

In Ocean City, Maryland, seawater swamped entire streets Friday night as the powerful nor'easter began hammering the popular coastal resort Long Beach Island in New Jersey appeared deluged by floodwaters as the sea washed inland Footage showed water surrounding homes and swallowing roads, leaving mailboxes poking above the rising waterline. asserted

At Surf City Bay Beach, powerful winds whipped seawater ashore even before the storm's strongest conditions had arrived. And in Ocean City, Maryland, video recorded shortly before 10pm on Friday night showed seawater completely covering sections of roadway as the resort town began flooding. asserted

The dangerous conditions offered a stark explanation for the decision to cancel the three-day Oceans Calling music festival as the storm closed in. asserted

The nor'easter is expected to track offshore during the weekend, but forecasters warned it will pass close enough to the coast to unleash damaging winds, huge waves and significant coastal flooding. asserted

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned particularly dangerous flooding could strike parts of the Mid-Atlantic coastline, with New Jersey and Delaware facing some of the greatest threats. uncertain

In Manasquan, New Jersey, water was already pouring onto roads as darkness fell on Friday night. asserted

A State of Emergency is in effect for New York City, coastal areas of New Jersey, Long Island, and Westchester County, New York, ahead of the strengthening and approaching storm Ocean City, Maryland was already battling significant coastal flooding late Friday, with surging seawater completely covering roadways as the storm churned offshore Mailboxes could be seen peeking above the waterline in Long Beach Island, New Jersey Officials earlier issued a voluntary evacuation for some of the community's low-lying neighborhoods. uncertain

Mayor Mike Mangan warned residents to expect 'a lot of water in the streets for a long time.' Sea Bright, another vulnerable New Jersey beach community, was preparing for flooding that could leave some streets beneath as much as six feet of water. Mayor Brian Kelly urged hundreds of residents in low-lying areas to consider getting out while they still could. ' uncertain

It's going to be worse than average,' Kelly warned. asserted

'We do have probably one or two flooding events a year, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I think this one will be closer to an Irene-scale flooding event. asserted

He was referring to Hurricane Irene, which caused devastating flooding across the Northeast in 2011. asserted

'I hope I'm wrong, but that's my gut feeling,' Kelly added. asserted

The town planned to open its recreation center to residents forced from their homes. asserted

Meanwhile, forecasters warned winds could become ferocious farther north. uncertain

Members of the media set up for their dramatic live shots ahead of their evening news bulletins in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey before the storm comes ashore Conditions seen in coastal Virginia earlier in the week, above, gave some indication as to what was to come for those along the East Coast asserted

North Carolina's Outer Banks felt the brunt of a developing nor'easter Peak gusts could reach between 60 and 65mph across Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket from Friday night into Saturday. Boston could see gusts of 50 to 55mph, while inland communities could experience winds of 35 to 40mph. uncertain

Southeastern Connecticut and eastern Long Island could experience winds approaching similar speeds. uncertain

'It's definitely going to be a case of the closer to the coast you are, the more impacts from the storm you're likely to see,' NWS meteorologist Matthew Belk said. asserted

Although nor'easters are a familiar threat as New England enters fall, many trees are still covered in leaves. asserted

Those leaves create greater resistance against powerful winds, potentially making trees and branches more likely to come crashing down. asserted

That in turn raises the threat of blocked roads and widespread power outages. asserted

Parts of coastal New Jersey, southeastern New York and southern New England can expect 4-8 inches Wind gusts of 40-60 mph are forecast in the hardest-hit areas, with localized 60-80 mph gusts Residents and beachgoers in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, prepare for the nor'easter People gathered along the shoreline to watch large waves crashing against the coast in Monmouth, New Jersey People came down to the beach to watch the waves crash ashore and the storm approached Traffic passes beneath a sign over the West Side Highway warning of high winds and rain over the weekend with the impending arrival of a nor'easter in New York Thee was a spectacular sunset on Friday night in New York with a rainbow forming ahead of the approaching torm Travel was already descending into chaos. asserted

More than 200 flights involving airports in Boston, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and New York were canceled on Friday, with further cancellations already scheduled for Saturday. asserted

Several airlines were allowing affected travelers to change or cancel certain East Coast flights without the usual fees. asserted

Ferry travel was also being hammered by the deteriorating weather. asserted

Public ferries connecting Cape Cod with Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard suffered widespread cancellations on Friday as strong winds churned the ocean. asserted

Rhode Island ferries serving Block Island were also canceled, with disruption expected to continue on Saturday. asserted

For island residents, getting stranded by brutal coastal weather is an occupational hazard. asserted

'It's a nuisance, but you know, we know what to do with this kind of stuff at this point,' said Sean Driscoll, a spokesman for the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. asserted

The storm also tore through weekend entertainment and sporting schedules. asserted

The Boston Red Sox rearranged their series against the Chicago Cubs, shifting Sunday's afternoon game to Friday as part of a split doubleheader. asserted

Ed Sheeran canceled high-profile Friday and Saturday concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, because of the dangerous conditions. asserted