A rare September nor’easter is battering the Jersey Shore and Philly region Saturday

The effects of an early-season nor’easter along the Jersey Shore may continue to be felt Sunday, as the potential for more hazardous weather and high tides threaten already wind-tattered and soggy coastal cities.

The unusual September weather system on Saturday unleashed ferocious showers, high winds, massive waves, and cascading floodwaters on the Shore, where New Jersey officials had issued a state of emergency Friday.

» READ MORE: The Jersey Shore is bracing for a big September storm — but it’s a nor’easter, not a hurricane

“This is the worst I’ve seen it in a long time,” said Atlantic City Battalion Chief Mike Famularo, whose crews were busy rescuing drivers trapped after the morning tide brought what he called “major flooding” to the area. One thoroughfare, Albany Avenue, had more than two feet of water on it, Famularo said.

The highest tides and strongest winds — with gusts of up to 60 mph on the coast — were forecast through Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Waves pounding the oceanfront and swelling back bays were expected to bring multiple rounds of at least moderate flooding at the Shore and at least minor flooding along the Delaware River in Philadelphia.

“We’re pretty much in it right now,” Lee Robertson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, said Saturday morning in a phone interview.

The nor’easter, howling from off the Eastern Seaboard and battering much of the Northeast, will likely continue generating rain and winds across the region Sunday.

NWS meteorologist Matt Brudy said in a phone interview Saturday afternoon that the worst of the coastal flooding had likely passed and high tides into Sunday may crest lower. Prolonged rainfall may also worsen the consequences of coastal flooding, according to the weather service.

Flood warnings and hazardous weather advisories have been extended through the bulk of the weekend, and the widespread flooding may still make roadways impassable and damage vulnerable structures. Famularo, who is also a deputy coordinator of the Atlantic City Office of Emergency Management, recommended that people stay inside and avoid driving.

Video from the Margate City Fire Department captured ankle-deep waters creeping up on white picket fences and park benches. Ocean City officials said Saturday morning’s high tide reached 7.63 feet — almost as high as during the historic 2016 nor’easter Jonas — temporarily closing bridges into the Cape May County resort town.

Hotels along the Black Horse Pike in Atlantic County were evacuated as the roadway was underwater earlier in the day. Nine adults, including one using a wheelchair, and a dog were rescued from the Travel Inn and New Sea Breeze motels, where the first-floor rooms had more than 2 feet of water, according to Egg Harbor Township police. Bargaintown Volunteer Fire Co. both rescued the guests and extinguished a small fire in the Travel Inn, police said.

As noon approached Saturday and the tide receded in Atlantic City, people left their homes to survey the damage.

One resident found his garbage can a block up the street. Another used a broom to push water away from her front door.

Gaetano Petinga put on boots and trekked through the water to reach his Volkswagen Jetta, which had water pooled inside from flooding.

“Don’t park on the sidewalk tonight,” he advised a neighbor who drove by.

Petinga, who is 23, said he was just a child when flooding from Hurricane Sandy in 2012 left two feet of water in his family’s house.

This time, the water stopped at his top step.

“I’m definitely getting some water tonight,” he said, and he saw little he could do to prevent it. “Can’t control Mother Nature.”

Mother Nature has also thwarted weekend events planned across the region: The City of Wildwood ceased all outdoor events this weekend, and the Bike MS: City to Shore cycling event and Saturday’s South Street Fall Fest in Philadelphia were canceled. The Philadelphia Half Marathon training run and 31st Chinatown Mid-Autumn Festival were postponed.

Meanwhile, according to the PowerOutage.us tracker, about 14,300 outages were reported in New Jersey as of 3 p.m. Saturday. Peco reported about 220 outages, affecting more than 5,800 people, across the Philadelphia area.

In Atlantic City, Star Rios’ vacation to celebrate her daughter’s birthday was cut short. The Syracuse, N.Y., resident checked out of Club Boardwalk Resorts a day early.

“We still had a blast yesterday, but I was like, ‘I just want to go home,’” Rios said.

“The weather’s better back home.”

This is a developing story that will be updated.