A slow-moving, powerful storm crept along the coast of the U.S. Northeast on Saturday, producing high winds that caused power outages while whipping up big waves and heavy rains that created dangerous conditions. The New York City Housing Authority said one of its employees was killed by a fallen tree in Brooklyn, as the storm pelted the city with rain and strong winds. Also in New York, four people were hospitalized with minor injuries after they were struck by a falling tree in Brooklyn’s Kelly Park section, the city’s fire department said. The forecast showed no immediate reprieve. The storm remained just south of Long Island and east of northern New Jersey on Sunday morning and was expected to loop around the area for roughly another 24 hours, said Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland. The worst of the remaining rainfall was expected Sunday from northern New Jersey through New York City and Long Island into southern New England. “Anyone who goes in or near the water this weekend is literally gambling with their life,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. In New Jersey and New York, some people kayaked down flooded streets. Others headed to beaches to try to surf the higher-than-usual waves. The worst of the New Jersey coastal flooding occurred Saturday morning, with streets in coastal communities under a few feet of water in some areas, leaving some cars at least partially submerged and others abandoned in the middle of the street. The South Shore of Long Island saw similar conditions. The next threat of major coastal flooding comes on Long Island during from Saturday night’s high tide, and again Sunday morning. Flooding for the South Shore and eastern-facing bays of Long Island could again be widespread; in New Jersey, it may not be as bad as Saturday morning. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for Long Island, New York City and Westchester County ahead of the storm. In New Jersey, Gov. Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency for eight counties, including Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties along the Jersey Shore. By Saturday evening, the New York City Parks Department said it had received nearly 1,000 requests for downed or damaged trees since Friday, most of which were in Brooklyn and Queens. More than 350 of those calls were for downed trees, though a department official said some of the reports could be duplicates. The powerful wind gusts will continue Saturday night and through Sunday morning. Coastal communities like Belmar, New Jersey, and Montauk will see the worst of it. Tree damage is likely in those areas. In addition to the winds, video from Saturday showed some people kayaking down flooded streets in Howard Beach — around the time that NYC Emergency Management said Jamaica Bay reached major flood levels during the morning high tide. Outside the city, there were reports from all over the tri-state of downed trees and wires, as the powerful winds helped fell water-logged trees and tree limbs. On Long Island, PSEG said there were roughly 15,000 customers without power as of Saturday evening — a number that could grow with prolonged wind and rain. Check the latest weather alerts for your neighborhood here. What is still to come The low will continue to meander just south of Long Island for the rest of Saturday before weakening Sunday afternoon and eventually ejecting to the northeast on Monday. Rain, which played a relatively minor role through much of Saturday, will pick up overnight and stick around through Sunday – with only a few breaks likely. Plan for an indoor weekend, because the rain and winds won’t taper off in earnest until Monday, and there won’t be significant improvement in the weather until Tuesday. Rain accumulation will be impressive, with upwards of 4 inches or more possible along shoreline areas. Much of the tri-state will end up getting between 2-3 inches by the time the storm is done, though locally higher amounts could be possible on Long Island. The heaviest rain is still to come. It will intensify Saturday night and last through Sunday, even stretching to Monday morning. Flash flooding is not out of the question, especially on the eastern end of Long Island, though given how spread out the rain will be over two days, the threat is significantly reduced. The biggest impact from this storm will be coastal erosion. The extended lashing on our beaches for days promises to wash away a lot of sand.  Second, coastal flooding presented a problem at high tide for low-lying areas Saturday morning, and will continue to do during the high tides Saturday night and Sunday morning.  The worst of the flooding occurred during the high tide Saturday morning, when many flood-prone locations face moderate to major inundation. Flood-prone communities on the South Shore of Long Island could see major coastal flooding again Sunday morning. Away from the coast, the impacts of this nor-easter have been significantly less. Winds will continue to be less gusty and rain totals will be lower. Still, the weekend will be soggy no matter where you are in the tri-state. While the immediate NYC area may not get the worst of the storm, plenty of events in and around the five boroughs have been canceled as a result including the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, marking the first time the event has ever been canceled due to weather. The AC/DC concert at MetLife Stadium slated for Friday night was canceled too, as was the CBGB Festival planned for Under the K Bridge Park in Brooklyn on Saturday. As far as nor’easters go, this one will be low to moderate impact for most people away from the immediate coast. It is happening early in the fall, so there’s no snow involved.  Nor’easters are typically associated with strong coastal lows during the winter months that deliver howling winds, blowing snow, and whiteout conditions that grind the coast to a halt. This weekend’s storm is not that. The wind will relax somewhat Sunday, and the rain will taper off late Sunday into Monday. The low begins to weaken and eventually exit the region entirely, leaving quite nice weather for us next week. Expect highs in the 70s with plenty of sunshine. ...read more read less