Coastal Flooding, 55+ Winds As Fall Nor'easter Brings Heavy Rain To MA: See Latest Forecast

MASSACHUSETTS — A fierce, very early season nor'easter will bring heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous surf to eastern Massachusetts this weekend, with the National Weather Service on Friday issuing a Coastal Flood Watch for Sunday morning through Monday night.

Vulnerable locations along the North Shore from Salem to Gloucester to Newburyport will be among the most affected areas as winds whip to 55 miles per hour or higher on the outer Cape and Islands.

• Damaging Fall Nor'easter Targets New England For Holiday Weekend

Rain is likely to move into New England from south to north on Sunday, with the day starting partly sunny and ending with driving downpours and increasing winds.

"If travel is required, allow extra time as some roads may be closed," the NWS said. "Do not drive around barricades or through water of unknown depth. Take the necessary actions to protect flood-prone property."

The peak of the storm is expected to be on the Monday holiday with persistent northeast winds around 20 mph throughout Massachusetts, with gusts over 30 mph inland and up to 50 mph at coastal locations and offshore.

This is expected to be a long-duration storm with steady rain continuing through Tuesday and showers lingering into Wednesday and Thursday.

Up to two inches of rain is expected across much of Massachusetts, with as much as five inches of rain on the outer Cape and Islands.

Temperatures will hover around 60 during the day. But the raw, damp feel will make it feel much chillier after a string of 80-degree days over the past few weeks.

The timing of the storm will be a bummer for fall foliage lovers as this is among the peak weekends for leaf-peeping across central New England. The high winds are likely to knock down many of the leaves just as they are hitting their most vibrant state.

This is also the final weekend of the 207th Topsfield Fair and traditionally one of the busiest weekends of the Salem Halloween season.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)