CAPE MAY — A rare September nor’easter swamped the East Coast over the weekend, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, beach erosion and significant coastal flooding in many communities.
From Friday, Sept. 25, to Monday, Sept. 28, the storm generated advisories for strong winds, high surf and coastal flooding. Gov. Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency for counties including Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Salem.
“This nor’easter is expected to bring damaging winds, heavy rain, significant coastal flooding and resulting beach erosion, with these eight counties facing the greatest risk,” Sherrill said in a statement Sept. 25.
Mayor Zack Mullock told the Star & Wave on Sept. 28 that the flooding was higher than normal and there was overtopping at Poverty Beach at the corner of Wilmington and Beach avenues.
“There [was] flooding on Venice Avenue and Yacht Avenue around the Riggins area,” Mullock said. “In the event of a really serious hurricane, it’s a really important exit for the community and we really don’t want to send people toward Beach Avenue to exit town.”
Mullock added that the storm drain replacement the city has completed served its purpose well during the nor’easter.
“We probably would have had a lot worse areas throughout town if it weren’t for the storm drains that were replaced during the infrastructure projects,” he said.
Cape May Point Mayor Anita VanHeeswyk said the nor’easter did not damage the dunes.
“From Alexander Avenue looking toward Sunset Beach, there was a lot of water there [Saturday],” VanHeeswyk told the Star and Wave. “There was water that formed three little lakes on the beach and you could tell the water had gone up to the toe of the dunes.”
Van Heeswyk said the water had covered the jetties for an hour after high tide Saturday.
“We’ve done a lot of work on our dunes, which is why I think we got through this all right,” she said. “Our dunes are old and we’ve had a lot of mayors working on it. I’d like to acknowledge the beach replenishment work from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers.”
She noted generations of residents as well as the Cape May Point Taxpayers Association have worked on the dunes during Dunes and More Day.
A full moon Saturday along with astronomical tides combined for high water levels, which led to back bay flooding. Astronomical tides occur when the moon is full and new, which can amplify the risk of flooding.
The Cape May Police Department closed several roads due to flooding, including Washington, Bank and Elmira streets. The CMPD urged people to use Seashore Road to exit the island.
Several local businesses closed due to flooding, including the Lobster House Restaurant, which is in an area with significant flooding. ABC7NY shared a video of the flooding inside the restaurant.
Cape May Oktoberfest was canceled Saturday due to inclement weather, with no ability to use the Sept. 27 rain date. The Cape May County Park and Zoo was closed both Saturday and Sunday.
Nor’easter activity is most common from November through March, although they can form at any time of the year. They are most frequent and violent between September and April, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The city’s Office of Emergency Management partnered with ShorelySafe for hyper-localized weather forecasts and online flood maps. Over the weekend, the Cape May City Facebook page shared updates from Shorely Safe and Meteorologist Joe Martucci with details on flooding and updated forecasting.
“For Friday evening, we’re looking at significant flooding on Mt. Vernon Avenue [and] water gets down onto Bank Street,” Martucci said in the posted video. “These are usual areas that see flooding, but the difference here is that it is not as expansive as it will be this time, so it goes further to the south.”
Martucci added that Saturday evening would be the peak of flooding.
Addressing areas in town that commonly flood is important for flood resiliency. As part of the 2026 budget, Cape May City allocated $3.78 million for general capital items, including the Bank Street retaining wall.
City Manager Paul Dietrich said Feb. 17 that the retaining wall was a project funded in 2025 but needed more seed money to continue the engineering phase of the project. The retaining wall will connect at the bridge on Elmira Street, over Cape Island Creek and run down behind the substation.
The Bank Street area floods often, affecting daily commuters and residents along Elmira Street.
“We get a full moon and high tide, even without a good rainstorm, and that street floods,” Dietrich said. “We’ve done a good job putting tideflex valves to lessen the impact, but once you hit a moderate stage level of flooding, those banks top over and it goes into the street.”
