Tri-State Hammered By Winds, Rain

(CBS) NEW YORK Ready for a few days of nothing but indoor activities?

Like it or not, possibly the strongest spring storm in a decade is upon us. A major Nor'easter has brought heavy rains to our area, and it is only going to get worse.

"The heaviest rain will impact the area this afternoon and evening but subsequent urban, river and coastal flooding along with damaging winds will cause problems through the beginning of the work week," said CBS 2 meteorologist Elisse Finch.

This storm, as expected, is just as potent as a tropical storm, with sustained winds over 40 mph and gusts up to 70, especially over eastern Long Island. It's going to cause a whole laundry list of problems for the area, including power outages, beach erosion, flash flooding and coastal flooding.

The storm will stall over our area Sunday into Monday. The Nor'easter will to track right over our area providing a mostly rain event with snow well north and west of the city likely.

If the system tracks farther off the coast, a significant wet snowstorm is possible, and with the dropping of temperatures to just a few degrees above freezing, slick road conditions are likely.

"It is imperative that the public be aware of the potential problems associated with this storm and plan accordingly," New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer said.

"It's a cold-core storm, unusual for this time of April. Normally, we're finished with this sort of thing by the end of March," severe storm expert Lonnie Quinn said. "Not only is this a late-season Nor'easter, it'll be a very significant one at that."

Liz Carothers also contributed to this article.

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