Readiness
Active Weather
Josephine is now a post-tropical storm well offshore, but it is still pushing water into the back bays. The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly has a coastal flood advisory until midnight tonight for Ocean County, New Jersey. Expect minor flooding of low roads and lots near the bays around high tide. Do not drive through water on a flooded road. The National Weather Service's Turn Around, Don't Drown message applies to shallow tidal water too.
On Long Island, the Upton office expects minor coastal flooding again in the back bays of southern Nassau County around high tide through early Saturday.
The other item is cold. A freeze watch covers Morris, Somerset, and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey from late tonight through Saturday morning, with lows as cold as 30 degrees. A freeze watch means temperatures cold enough to kill crops and tender plants and to damage unprotected outdoor plumbing are possible. Southern Westchester County in New York has a frost advisory tonight.
In Puerto Rico, the San Juan office has a high surf advisory until 6 PM today and a rip current statement through Saturday evening for the north and west coasts, from San Juan around to Mayagüez. The rip current statement also covers Culebra and St. Thomas and St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. If you are caught in a rip current, the Weather Service says to relax and float, and swim parallel to the shore rather than toward it.
Infrastructure
No power outages, water system notices, or transportation disruptions are reported in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Public Health
No public health advisories found for the Mid-Atlantic.
Food recalls posted by the Food and Drug Administration this week include Gelatelli coffee and vanilla gelato sold at Lidl for possible Listeria, Starfish Seafood cold smoked salmon for possible Listeria, and Family Farmstead raw mild cheddar cheese for possible E. coli. The full list, with lot codes, is at fda.gov/recalls.
Two sources we check could not be read this morning: the CDC Health Alert Network, for national health advisories, and AirNow, for air quality readings. Check emergency.cdc.gov/han and airnow.gov directly.
Watch Item
The National Hurricane Center's Atlantic outlook, issued at 8 AM Eastern time, says no tropical cyclone is expected to form in the next seven days. Josephine has become a post-tropical storm and is moving away toward Atlantic Canada. The Atlantic season runs through November 30, and the outlook gives Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands a quiet week.
The Weather Prediction Center expects a ridge of high pressure to bring warmer than average temperatures to the East next week, with nothing widely hazardous in its five day outlook. Tidal flooding should ease as Josephine moves farther away. If you live near the back bays, this weekend is a good time to note which streets flooded this week. That is your own local flood map, and it is more accurate than any app.
Living Ready
New York HEAP opens November 2, with bigger benefits for oil and propane
Applications for New York's regular Home Energy Assistance Program open November 2. The benefit for households that heat with oil, kerosene, or propane rises by $90 to as much as $990, and for wood, pellets, or coal by $65 to $700. A family of four can earn up to $6,852 a month before taxes. Homeowners can also ask about a heating equipment clean-and-tune or a repair or replacement benefit. Apply at ny.gov/HEAP or your local department of social services. Older adults can call NY Connects at 1-800-342-9871. Many SNAP households receive HEAP automatically.
New York · Source: Office of Governor Kathy Hochul, October 16, 2026
New Jersey's energy assistance season is open through June
New Jersey's combined LIHEAP and Universal Service Fund program is taking applications from October 1 through June 30, first come, first served. A household of three can earn up to $6,902 a month before taxes. Apply at energyassistance.nj.gov, or call 1-800-510-3102 to find your county agency. Applicants 60 or older, or with a disability, can apply by mail or ask for a home visit.
New Jersey · Source: New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, 2026 to 2027 program fact sheet
Explore Today
Know what you pay for heat before the cold months, so assistance and budgeting both make sense.
If a cold night and a power outage arrive together, how to keep the house livable.
With a freeze watch tonight in north Jersey, the steps to protect outdoor plumbing.