Bomb cyclone nor'easter pummels East Coast with strong winds, rain

A nor'easter pounded the Atlantic coast with hurricane-force winds and sideways rain and snow Friday, flooding streets, grounding flights, stopping trains and leaving 1.6 million customers without power from North Carolina to Maine. At least seven people died in weather-related accidents.

People were killed by falling trees, including an 11-year-old boy in New York who was killed when a tree crashed into his home, authorities said.

The storm submerged cars and toppled tractor-trailers, sent waves higher than a two-story house crashing into the Massachusetts coast, forced schools and businesses to close early and caused a rough ride for passengers aboard a flight that landed at Dulles Airport outside Washington. "Pretty much everyone on the plane threw up," a pilot wrote in a report to the National Weather Service.

The Eastern Seaboard was hammered by gusts exceeding 50 mph, with winds of 80 to 90 mph on Cape Cod. Ohio and upstate New York got a foot or more of snow. Boston and Rhode Island were expected to get 2 to 5 inches.

In Quincy, Massachusetts, floodwaters submerged cars, and police rescued people trapped in their vehicles. More than 100 people had to be rescued Friday, and there were still more trapped in their homes by floodwater, CBS Boston reports.

Wayne Adams had no choice but to evacuate. "My garage, it was all the way up to my waist. The water was all the way up to my waist," Adams told CBS Boston.

"I've lived here for five years I've seen lots of snowstorms, rainstorms, wind but I have never seen anything like this before," Adams said. "That kind of flooding, I didn't think it was possible."

More than 4,000 people were without power in the city. No injuries have been reported.

High waves battered nearby Scituate, making roads impassable and turning parking lots into small ponds. More than 1,800 people alerted Scituate officials they had evacuated, The Boston Globe reported.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker activated 200 National Guard members to help victims.

In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency due to the high winds, CBS Baltimore reports.

Airlines canceled more than 3,000 flights. LaGuardia and Kennedy airports in New York City were brought to a near standstill.

​High tide floods Boston streets

A high tide sent water into Boston streets surrounding the Long Wharf Hotel on Saturday, CBS Boston reports. The flooding was not nearly as bad as the historic nor'easter on Friday, which forced the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to close the station for several hours.

The area of State Street and Atlantic Avenue flooded as the tide came in around 11 a.m. Saturday. Water rose to a near-historic level for the city, cresting nearly 15 feet. That's the third highest in Boston history.

The New England Aquarium will also be closed for the day due to the flooding.

​Mass. governor declares state of emergency

2:16 p.m.: Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency Saturday after the massive storm slammed his state, leaving thousands of residents without power.

Declaring a state of emergency will allow the deployment of federal and interstate resources, if required, to provide necessary assistance in the Commonwealth's emergency response and what is anticipated to be a prolonged recovery effort," Baker's office said in a statement.

​Amtrak resumes Northeast Corridor service

1:15 p.m.: Amtrak resumed its Northeast Corridor service at 11 a.m. on Saturday with modified schedules between Washington, D.C., and New York City, the company said in a statement. It advised customers to expect "significant residual delays" as it tries to restore full service in the area.

The company said New York, Philadelphia and Harrisburg is also operating on a modified service plan.

Amtrak Auto Train service has been canceled Saturday in both directions. Service is expected to resume Sunday between Lorton, Virginia, and Sanford, Florida.

​Firefighter struck by hit-and-run driver in Mass.

12:52 p.m.: Massachusetts authorities said an on-duty firefighter was struck by a hit-and-run driver and seriously injured while responding to a traffic incident during the powerful nor'easter.

Wareham police said the Onset Fire Department firefighter was hit by a vehicle early Friday evening while at the scene of the traffic incident on Cranberry Highway, also known as routes 6 and 28.

Officials have not released the firefighter's name or condition. The firefighter was taken to a Rhode Island hospital.

Police are still looking for the driver. Anyone with information is urged to call Wareham police.

Coastal areas remain under flood warnings

11:04 a.m.: Coastal areas from Maryland to Maine remain under flood warnings as the powerful nor'easter moves further out to sea after inundating roads, snapping trees and knocking out power to more than 2 million homes and businesses.

Residents in eastern Massachusetts are bracing for more flooding Saturday with high tides expected around noon.

Amtrak suspends service between D.C. and NYC

8:10 a.m.: Amtrak said Saturday that service on the Northeast Corridor line will be suspended until at least 9 a.m. between Washington, D.C., and New York City "due to winter storm-related power outages between Philadelphia and New York City."

Amtrak Keystone Service was operating on a modified service plan, and Amtrak Northeast Regional service has restored scheduled operations.

"Amtrak regrets any inconvenience," it said in a statement.

Nearly 400,000 Mass. residents remain in the dark

7:05 a.m.: Nearly 400,000 Massachusetts residents remained in the dark Saturday after the nor'easter knocked out power. As of 6 a.m., about 380,000 were without power in the state, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), CBS Boston reports.

The majority of the outages were in the southeastern part of the state.

Pa. Gov. to send in National Guard to northeastern part of state

2:40 a.m.: Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is sending about 90 National Guard troops to address storm damage in northeastern part of the state, where high winds and snow have cut power, downed trees and closed roadways. Wolf's office says the guardsmen will be headed primarily to Pike and Monroe counties in the Poconos, where some of the deepest snow totals have been recorded.

The National Weather Service said 20 inches of snow fell in Mt. Pocono as of 7 p.m.

Dangerous conditions along Hudson River

2:00 a.m.: The Coast Guard says eight construction barges that came unmoored in the Hudson River as a nor'easter hit the region are beached or run aground along the river. The barges began drifting south from the Mario Cuomo Bridge area during Friday's storm.

The Coast Guard says six of the barges have been hauled up on shore in various locations between Dodd's Ferry and Yonkers, New York. Another two barges ran aground and are partially submerged in shallow water near Palisades Park, New Jersey.

The Coast Guard says there have been no reports of injuries or water contamination.

The barges are part of a project to build a new bridge and dismantle the old Tappan Zee Bridge.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a travel advisory Friday for areas north of New York City, CBS New York reports. The governor said all high profile vehicles and motorcycles have also been banned from the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge until further notice due to the winds.

"With the threat of high winds and dangerous driving conditions through this evening, I have issued a travel advisory so plows, utility crews and first responders are able to do their jobs and keep New Yorkers safe," Cuomo said in a statement. "We continue to work to keep roads clear and if you do not have to travel today, I encourage you to stay off the roads."

Whipping winds caused one truck to tip over around 10 a.m. in the Rockland-bound lanes of the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. Hours later, a tractor-trailer toppled over in the Westchester-bound lanes.

Bill Morris witnessed another tractor-trailer come dangerously close to other drivers.

"I have not seen the wind at that strength on any bridge that I've traveled in my time," he said. "It was pretty intense."

Video shows the tractor-trailer inching along precariously, appearing like it's about to tip over.

High tide peaks in Boston at 13.83 feet

1:30 a.m.: High tide peaked at 13.83 feet just before midnight, with a storm surge of 2.9 feet, according to the National Weather Service. At noon, Boston crested at 14.67 feet, the third highest level ever recorded, behind only the Blizzard of '78 and the January 4 storm.

In Nantucket, tide gauge peaked at 6.69 feet at high tide just before 1 AM, with a storm surge of 3.3 feet, the National Weather Service tweeted.

A travel ban was in effect in the South Shore of Massachusetts overnight Friday into Saturday, CBS Boston reports. Scituate became a ghost town along the coastline where the seawall buffers homes from the ocean.

"This is not a storm to mess around with," said Chief Mike Stewart.

Chief Stewart took us where only emergency vehicles are allowed. "Four feet deep at the deepest," said Stewart as he pointed to a flooded road.

"There's decent damage to the decks on the other side," said Stewart referencing the homes directly by the seawall.

Winter Storm Riley?

12:20 a.m.: The Weather Channel has dubbed this storm "Winter Storm Riley." They say it's "simply easier to communicate" if the storm has a name -- something they've done for six seasons.

However, the National Weather Service refrains from naming winter storms, as do many media outlets, including CBS News.

High tide approaching in Massachusetts

12:00 a.m.: The dangerous high tides hit Boston at 11:46 p.m. and will hit Nantucket at 12:52 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Flooding will begin 1-2 hours before high tide, the National Weather Service said.

In Nantucket, the National Weather Service tweeted the high tide could approach the record, set during the Oct. 1991 storm nor'easter known as the "perfect storm."

Friday afternoon's high tide in Boston was the third-highest observed tide on record, according to the National Weather Service.

Strong winds are expected to continue throughout the night, especially in the Cape Cod area and on Nantucket.