A potent fall storm is strengthening off the Carolina coast, threatening the East Coast with heavy rain, strong winds, and coastal flooding this weekend. Meteorologists are uncertain about the storm's exact track, which will determine the severity of impacts. "It's just the track and the exact position of how west or east it is," said Richard Bann, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center. "That is the uncertainty still."

The most likely scenario places the storm near Cape Cod, bringing heavy rain to southern New England, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, and eastern Massachusetts. Coastal flooding and erosion are the most certain threats, as the storm coincides with some of the month's highest tides. High winds, potentially gusting above 45 miles per hour, could drive seawater inland.

If the storm pivots west, it could approach New York City, though impacts there are expected to be less severe. Rainfall totals of two to four inches are forecast for New England, but these could change. This storm may be the first of several this season, driven by a developing El Niño pattern.