Weather

Nor’easter floods coastal towns on battered North Shore

Police in coastal communities like Newbury and Marblehead warned residents away from flooded streets. Hampton, N.H. and Salisbury, Mass. have been hit hard this winter.

A car drove through a flooded street during a Nor’easter. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

By Molly Farrar

Beach towns on Massaschusetts’s North Shore and into New Hampshire are wading through flood waters and sea foam after Thursday’s Nor’easter battered the coasts.

Police in coastal communities like Newbury and Marblehead warned residents away from flooded streets due in part to floating debris.

Roadways in Salisbury, Massachusetts were closed most of Thursday due to high waters near Salisbury Beach. The coastal town’s nearby roads were also covered in sea foam.

Snow and sea foam blanketed the beach Thursday morning at high tide, images show. The beach town has been hit hard this winter. In January, two storms damaged at least 20 beach houses and left sea foam in its wake. Last month, a $600,000 sand dune on the beach was blown away by a storm just a few days after it was installed to protect homes.

A Salisbury plow pushes away foam during a Nor’easter Thursday. – Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff

Newbury police had some fun while dealing with the tumultuous floodwaters. First, they shared a warning to stay off roads completely due to downed wires and high wind through Thursday afternoon. 

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Then, they shared a video of a beaver enjoying the waterlogged streets, and a stop sign wobbling precariously in the wind.

“Why did the beaver cross the road?” they wrote. 

In New Hampshire, Hampton Beach once again experienced coastal flooding. While the waters didn’t rise as high as after January’s heavy rain, police urged residents away from Ocean Boulevard.

“When flood levels do not rise to the level where it enters homes, wakes caused by vehicles driving through high water can cause water to enter homes, causing significant damage,” Hampton police said on Facebook. “The ocean waves are expected to crash over the sea wall and onto Ocean Blvd. these waves bring large rocks and other debris that is hazardous to onlookers and vehicles.”

Marblehead police also warned of debris in the roadways.

Flooding wasn’t unique to north of Boston. Scituate had minor flooding from waves cresting over seawalls, one resident shared on X.

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