1230 Hours, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011: Sussex County is already feeling the effects of the fall season’s first major nor’easter this Saturday afternoon, with a handful of power outages reported and some roads in low-lying areas closed due to standing water from heavy rains and coastal flooding.

The National Weather Service in Mt. Holly, N.J., has issued a coastal flood warning for Sussex County through 2 p.m. today, and a wind advisory until midnight tonight. A coastal storm now making its way through the mid-Atlantic region is spreading up to 2 inches of rain, 50 mph winds and tidal flooding in Delaware while on its way to dumping as much as a foot of rare October snow from western Maryland to Maine.

Temperatures in Sussex County are expected to remain above freezing, so no snow is forecast to fall here.

Strong, northeasterly winds gusting as high as 50 mph at the coast, along with minor to moderate flooding in low-lying areas such as the Inland Bays and Delaware Bay, could create problems in this event. Forecasts call for the noontime high tide at Breakwater Harbor in Lewes to run approximately 2 feet above normal, and gusty winds could take down power lines or trees.

Already, four roads in Sussex County are closed or have travel restrictions due to flooding. Prime Hook Road and Fowler Beach Road are both closed due to flooding on the roadways; northbound Del. Route 1, near the Indian River Inlet bridge, and Oak Orchard Road have water in sections, but remain open at this hour, according to the Delaware Department of Transportation.

The Sussex County Emergency Operations Center continues to monitor today’s weather situation, and is in close contact with officials from the weather service and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency.

With this storm, there is the possibility of downed trees and fallen power lines throughout the county. Residents, visitors and property owners should be cautious, and should never approach downed power lines. If there are downed power lines, members of the public should contact the proper utility authorities.

For updates, stay tuned to local television and radio stations, the Sussex County EOC Web site at sussexcountyde.gov/emergency-preparedness, and the County’s Twitter feeds at twitter.com/sussexde_govt and twitter.com/sussexctyde_eoc. The public should also monitor the National Weather Service, at https://www.weather.gov/phi/, for the latest forecast.

Members of the public who have questions regarding this information should contact the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center at (302) 855-7801.

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Media calls should be directed to EOC spokeswoman Debra Jones at (302) 855-7801 or Sussex County Chief of Public Information Chip Guy at (302) 858-0505.