Hurricane Nolo is flooding parts of Hawaii while a powerful nor’easter inundates streets, cuts electricity and disrupts travel across the Northeast. Neither storm made a conventional direct landfall, but their effects are already being felt deeply across U.S. communities.
Published at 7:40 p.m. EDT
The United States is confronting dangerous storms on two sides of the country, with Hurricane Nolo battering Hawaii from the Pacific and a slow-moving nor’easter flooding communities from Virginia to New England.
The storms have disrupted air travel, cut electricity to tens of thousands of customers, flooded roads and businesses, damaged boats, canceled concerts and sporting events, and exposed communities still recovering from earlier disasters.
The simultaneous threats offer one of the clearest demonstrations yet of the ways a strengthening El Niño can reorganize weather across North America.
In the central Pacific, unusually warm water and shifting wind patterns have helped sustain one of the most active hurricane seasons in years. Nolo remained south of Hawaii’s Big Island on Saturday, but its northern rainbands reached the state with heavy downpours, strong winds and dangerous surf.
On the other side of the country, a powerful coastal storm moved slowly toward the Northeast. Persistent northeast winds pushed Atlantic water into streets, canals, marinas and backyards from Virginia through New Jersey, New York and New England.
Neither system produced what meteorologists would describe as a conventional tropical-cyclone landfall in the United States.
Nolo’s center remained offshore, and the East Coast storm is a nor’easter rather than a tropical cyclone. Nor’easters do not receive an official landfall designation in the same way hurricanes do.
The distinction does not make the consequences less real. A storm’s center does not have to cross the coastline for its winds, rain, waves and flooding to cause extensive damage on land.
Nolo remains offshore but Hawaii feels the storm
Hurricane Nolo moved slowly south of the Big Island through Friday night and much of Saturday. At one point, its center was approximately 145 miles south of South Point and about 350 miles south-southeast of Honolulu.
The Central Pacific Hurricane Center reported maximum sustained winds near 105 mph late Friday, making Nolo a Category 2 hurricane. Its slow movement extended the period during which Hawaii remained exposed to its rainbands and ocean swells. nhc.noaa.gov
Forecasters expected Nolo to turn westward and remain south of the main Hawaiian Islands. A direct crossing of the Big Island was not forecast.
That did not prevent the hurricane from affecting daily life.
Flights were canceled at Hilo International Airport, beach access was restricted, businesses installed protective barriers and families filled sandbags as rainfall increased across the Big Island.
At least 21 Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest Airlines flights into or out of Hilo were canceled Friday and Saturday, according to FlightAware data cited by Hawaii News Now. Hawaiian Airlines removed aircraft from Hilo ahead of the worst weather and reduced its schedule as the company monitored the storm. hawaiinewsnow.com
Hawaiian Airlines Chief Executive Diana Birkett Rakow said the airline was thinning its Hilo schedule and would continue adjusting operations as conditions changed.
The cancellations affected hundreds of travelers. Flight display boards showed long lists of canceled departures, while airline counters at Hilo were closed and protected with sandbags.
These disruptions demonstrate how an offshore hurricane can affect transportation without making landfall. Airlines cannot safely keep aircraft and crews positioned at an airport if high winds, flooding or debris could damage equipment or prevent a safe departure.
Flooding and mudslides remain Hawaii’s greatest danger
The northern side of Nolo carried tropical moisture toward the Big Island’s mountains.
When moisture-laden air reaches Hawaii’s steep terrain, it is pushed upward, where it cools and condenses into heavier rainfall. That effect can substantially increase rainfall totals on windward slopes.
Federal forecasters warned that parts of the Big Island could receive as much as 20 inches of rain. Such amounts could produce life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides, particularly in steep areas, river valleys and communities with limited escape routes. AP News
Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, warned residents against entering flooded areas and said falling trees and power lines were possible.
“Don’t venture out if you don’t have to into the dangerous flooding environment,” Brennan said in a publicly reported storm briefing.
Hawaii County authorities urged residents in flood-prone communities to consider moving to shelters or staying with family and friends in safer locations. Gov. Josh Green activated hundreds of Hawaii National Guard members, while President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance and provide federal support. AP News
Relief organizations were already preparing supplies, including camp stoves and hygiene products, for shipment from Oahu to the Big Island.
The preparations were especially urgent because some Hawaiian communities have not recovered from the storms that struck earlier in the season.
Hawaii is facing cumulative damage
Nolo is not Hawaii’s first major storm threat of 2026.
Hurricane Lala affected the state in August, causing destructive flooding, damaging homes and producing widespread power outages. More than 180,000 utility customers were without electricity at one point, while at least 100 homes were damaged and two were swept from their foundations. reuters.com
Lala’s winds and flooding blocked roads, damaged communications systems and isolated some communities on the Big Island. One death was associated with the storm.
Hurricane Lowell followed in September, striking Hawaii’s western islands with damaging winds, waves and heavy rain. Nearly all of the approximately 35,000 customers served by Kauai’s electric cooperative lost power during the storm.
Lowell also damaged oceanfront resorts, destroyed sections of coastal road and contributed to two deaths. On Lanai, the island’s only cargo port became unusable, disrupting the delivery of food and fuel to approximately 3,300 residents. State officials estimated that repairs could take weeks. apnews.com
Nolo therefore arrived while repair crews, aid organizations and residents were still responding to previous damage.
Hawaiian Electric repositioned crews who had been restoring service on Kauai so workers would be available on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island. Relief organizations also continued using a community support hub established after Lala.
This cumulative damage is one of the least visible but most important consequences of an active hurricane season.
A home may survive one storm but become more vulnerable after its roof, foundation or surrounding soil is weakened. Emergency workers may face exhaustion. Utility companies may have depleted supplies of poles, transformers and repair equipment. Families may have used their savings replacing food, paying for hotels or repairing vehicles.
The arrival of another hurricane threat does not reset those conditions. It adds to them.
The East Coast storm flooded roads and businesses
While Hawaii prepared for Nolo, the nor’easter was already producing significant damage in the eastern United States.
By Saturday, the slow-moving storm had cut electricity to approximately 100,000 customers across the region at one point. Tens of millions of people were within its path, according to The Associated Press. AP News
The storm’s persistent northeast winds pushed ocean water toward the coast through repeated high-tide cycles.
In Long Branch, New Jersey, residents waded and kayaked through flooded streets. Photographs showed portions of Atlantic Avenue and Route 36 covered by water. At least one resident used a generator outside a flooded garage.
In Surf City, New Jersey, water entered a marina whose owner said the building had rarely flooded. Customers reported boats and Jet Skis missing from their normal locations. One 25-foot boat weighing approximately 8,000 pounds was blown from its lift.
In Stone Harbor, restaurant employees raced to clean the business after high tide flooded it shortly before a wedding rehearsal.
In Ocean City, Maryland, heavy surf stripped sand from beaches and washed out fencing placed along protective dunes. Water rose in canals and entered residential backyards.
Norfolk, Virginia, experienced repeated flooding throughout the week. Vehicles became stranded, and traffic pushed waves of water onto sidewalks and surrounding properties.
The damage extended far beyond the exact location of the storm’s center. The nor’easter’s broad circulation and slow movement allowed wind and water to affect hundreds of miles of shoreline.
Power outages affected thousands
High winds brought down tree limbs and electrical lines across the Northeast, leaving about 100,000 customers without service at the peak reported Saturday.
Power outages during coastal flooding present risks beyond darkness and inconvenience.
Homes that depend on electric sump pumps can flood when the power fails. Residents who use electrically powered medical equipment may require emergency assistance. Refrigerated food and medication can spoil during prolonged outages. Communications become more difficult as phone batteries are depleted.
Floodwater can also delay utility restoration. Crews may be unable to reach damaged equipment until roads reopen or water recedes. Strong winds can prevent workers from safely using elevated equipment.
The timing created an additional concern because the strongest winds and highest tides were expected to continue into Sunday. Damage could accumulate before crews had a sustained opportunity to begin repairs.
Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, warned that the Northeast faced continued high winds, high tides and possible heavy rainfall over several days.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an even more direct warning about the dangerous surf.
“Anyone who goes in or near the water this weekend is literally gambling with their life,” Hochul said. AP News
Flights, concerts and sports schedules were disrupted
The East Coast storm also produced major transportation and economic consequences.
Hundreds of flights were canceled at Boston Logan International Airport. Most flights serving the tourist destinations of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket were also canceled, according to The Associated Press. AP News
The Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs changed the schedule for their final regular-season series. The teams played a Friday doubleheader to avoid deteriorating conditions, and Major League Baseball moved the Sunday game to the Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium in Florida.
Singer Ed Sheeran canceled Friday and Saturday concerts at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. An Ironman triathlon in New York and the three-day Oceans Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland, were also canceled. AP News
These cancellations represent a secondary layer of storm losses.
Venues lose revenue. Hourly employees lose shifts. Restaurants and hotels lose customers. Travelers may pay for additional accommodations, replacement tickets or ground transportation. Small businesses that depend on weekend tourism can lose a substantial share of their monthly income during a single storm.
The economic impact will continue even after the rain stops, particularly in coastal towns where roads, beaches, marinas and public facilities require repairs.
Why this nor’easter became so disruptive
Nor’easters form when low pressure develops near the East Coast and draws strong northeast winds toward land.
This storm was especially disruptive because it moved slowly and maintained a prolonged onshore wind.
A faster system might produce one period of flooding before moving away. A slow storm can push water toward the same coastline during multiple high tides. Water may remain trapped in bays, tidal rivers and canals, allowing each additional tide to begin from an already elevated level.
The Weather Prediction Center warned that the low would approach the New Jersey coast before looping toward southeastern New England. That path extended the threat of strong winds, heavy rain, rip currents and coastal flooding. www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov
The storm also coincided with elevated astronomical tides, increasing the amount of water reaching coastal roads and neighborhoods.
Wind-driven water and rainfall can combine into compound flooding. Ocean water blocks storm drains and river outlets at the same time rainfall is trying to move toward the coast. The result is water backing into streets from more than one direction.
El Niño’s Pacific influence is already visible
The connection between El Niño and the active Pacific hurricane season is strong and well established.
El Niño begins when surface waters across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific become unusually warm and the trade winds weaken. Thunderstorm activity shifts eastward, changing circulation patterns across the tropics and beyond.
In the eastern and central Pacific, El Niño can create conditions that favor tropical-cyclone development. Warmer water supplies additional heat and moisture, while changes in upper-level winds can reduce the wind shear that tears developing storms apart.
El Niño can also encourage storms to form or retain strength farther west, increasing the possibility that some will approach Hawaii.
The eastern and central Pacific basins had produced 16 named storms, six hurricanes and four major hurricanes by September 16, all above the 1991 to 2020 averages for that point in the season. www.moodys.com
NOAA had forecast a 70 percent chance of an above-normal central Pacific hurricane season, with between five and 13 tropical cyclones expected to form in or pass through the region. www.weather.gov
The current season has followed that broad El Niño pattern, with repeated storms threatening Hawaii while the Atlantic hurricane basin remains remarkably quiet.
El Niño’s connection to the nor’easter is more complicated
El Niño’s role in the East Coast storm requires more careful language.
The nor’easter was not created solely by warm Pacific water. It formed through a combination of immediate atmospheric conditions, including an upper-level disturbance, a coastal surface low, Atlantic moisture and a favorable jet-stream pattern.
Nor’easters occur during El Niño, La Niña and neutral years.
A strong El Niño can, however, influence the larger circulation surrounding the storm. El Niño frequently strengthens and repositions the subtropical jet stream, creating a more active path for moisture and weather systems across the southern United States and toward the East Coast.
Those effects are usually strongest from late autumn through early spring. The current nor’easter arrived unusually early, meaning it would be scientifically irresponsible to describe it as a simple consequence of El Niño.
The defensible conclusion is that El Niño helped shape the broader atmosphere in which the coastal storm developed, while shorter-term weather patterns determined its exact formation, strength and path.
El Niño changes the probability of certain weather patterns. It does not control every storm.
A quiet Atlantic can still produce an East Coast emergency
The contrast between the Pacific and Atlantic is central to understanding the current situation.
El Niño has supported hurricane formation in the Pacific while suppressing tropical development across the Atlantic. Strong upper-level winds over the Caribbean and tropical Atlantic have repeatedly disrupted developing systems before they could become hurricanes.
As of mid-September, the Atlantic had not produced a hurricane, marking the latest start to the first hurricane of the season in the satellite era.
Accumulated cyclone energy, a measurement combining storm strength and duration, was approximately 93 percent below the 1991 to 2020 average through September 22. www.moodys.com
That quiet Atlantic hurricane season did not protect the East Coast from damaging weather.
A nor’easter can flood homes, destroy beaches, interrupt air travel and cut power without becoming a hurricane or receiving a name. Its winds may extend across a much wider area than those of a compact tropical cyclone, and its slow movement can expose the same communities to several days of damaging conditions.
This weekend demonstrates why residents should not use hurricane counts as a complete measurement of coastal risk.
Climate change raises the baseline
El Niño is a natural climate cycle, but it is operating within oceans and an atmosphere warmed by human-produced greenhouse gases.
Warmer air can hold more water vapor, increasing the amount of moisture available for heavy rainfall. Warmer oceans can support tropical-cyclone intensification when other conditions are favorable.
Rising sea levels also allow storm-driven water to reach farther inland. A tide or surge that once remained below a road, seawall or building threshold can now cross it more easily.
Climate change does not determine every storm track. It does increase the baseline conditions that influence rainfall, ocean heat and coastal flooding.
The interaction can be summarized clearly: El Niño rearranges global weather patterns, while climate change increases the heat and water available within those patterns.
The effects will continue after the storms move away
For Hawaii, the post-storm work will include inspecting roads, restoring utility service, reopening airports and determining whether rain destabilized slopes. Flooding and landslides can emerge after the center of a storm has already moved away.
Officials will also have to assess whether Nolo deepened damage left by Lala and Lowell.
For the Northeast, recovery will involve pumping water from buildings, clearing debris, restoring electricity and inspecting eroded beaches, dunes and roads. Boat owners and marina operators will search for missing or damaged vessels. Airlines will work through displaced aircraft, crews and passengers.
Businesses that canceled events or closed during the storm may not recover their lost weekend revenue.
This is why the phrase “after landfall” can be misleading when measuring a storm’s consequences. The defining moment is not always when the center crosses a coastline.
Nolo’s center did not cross Hawaii, yet the hurricane canceled flights and threatened the Big Island with extreme rainfall. The nor’easter was not a tropical system, yet it flooded streets and businesses and cut power to approximately 100,000 customers.
The real measure of a storm is where its hazards reach, how long they last and what they leave behind.
A warning of what may come next
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center said this month that El Niño was strengthening and had a greater than 90 percent chance of becoming a very strong event during fall and winter 2026 to 2027. www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov
Its most consistent effects across the continental United States may therefore still be ahead.
California could face an increased chance of heavy winter rainfall and coastal flooding. The southern United States may experience a more active storm track. The Northeast could receive additional moisture, although temperatures will determine whether winter storms produce rain, snow or mixed precipitation.
Hawaii may remain exposed to Pacific tropical systems through the end of hurricane season in November.
No seasonal forecast can identify the exact date or location of a future storm. But the current weather map provides an unmistakable warning.
Hurricane Nolo is affecting Hawaii without making landfall. A nor’easter is flooding the East Coast without being a hurricane. Communities on both sides of the country are already paying the cost.
El Niño has not acted alone, but its influence is becoming harder to miss.
Sources and reporting disclosure
This article is based on advisories and forecast discussions issued by the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, Weather Prediction Center and NOAA Climate Prediction Center. It also uses flight data reported by FlightAware, public emergency declarations, utility information, government statements and field reporting from The Associated Press, Reuters and Hawaii News Now.
Statements from residents, airline executives, emergency officials and meteorologists were taken from publicly available interviews and official briefings and are attributed to their original sources.
The distinction between formal landfall, offshore impacts and nor’easter coastal contact, along with the analysis of cumulative recovery pressures in Hawaii and the Northeast, is original reporting analysis by Karla Alvarado based on the cited documents and current storm records.