The major nor'easter is expected to bring several inches of rain to states from Virginia to Maine between Friday and Sunday night. As much as eight inches could fall in a widespread area covering portions of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Officials in New Jersey have issued a voluntary evacuation notice in the town of Manasquan, a small beach community on the Jersey Shore, warning those who live in the lowest, flood-prone streets near the ocean and back bays to leave their homes now before the storm arrives.

A spokesman for the borough told News12: 'It is recommended that residents in non-elevated structures located in low-lying flood-prone areas, particularly the elderly and special needs persons, shut off the electrical main in their home and move themselves, vehicles and pets to higher ground until the flooding subsides.'

A nor'easter is a strong storm that forms along the US East Coast, named for the northeast winds that blow over the Mid-Atlantic and New England when a low-pressure system sits over the ocean.

Forecast models have shown this storm forming a hurricane-like eye as it slams into the East Coast this weekend, and the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued region-wide coastal flood and high wind warnings.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the state is 'preparing for the worst' and urged residents, especially in New York City and Long Island, to prepare for potentially deadly downed power lines and flooded streets.

According to AccuWeather, the worst-case scenario could see as much as 13 inches of rainfall and hurricane-force wind gusts of 80mph in certain areas, most likely along the Massachusetts coast and the eastern half of Long Island in New York.

However, the weather service added on Friday that the strengthening nor'easter's impact could spread farther south, as the low-pressure system maintaining the storm moves farther into New Jersey. 

Meteorologist Ryan Maue referred to the incoming storm as a 'blockbuster' nor'easter and compared its structure to a standard hurricane - despite the National Hurricane Center (NHC) choosing not to call this weather system a named tropical cyclone.

Coastal communities in North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts have been warned that the nor'easter will push between two and three feet of water from the sea onto land, causing life-threatening flood conditions.

Regional blackouts in parts of New York, Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire may also be seen as trees are knocked down and power lines are snapped.

'Wet ground could make trees more susceptible to toppling in strong winds, which could lead to localized and regional power outages,' AccuWeather said in a statement.