A strong nor’easter is unleashing damaging winds as it moves up the East Coast. Its most severe conditions are on the way

The expected track for the nor'easter, indicated by the L's on the map, is shown from Sunday into Tuesday. Strong winds gusts are indicated by the orange, red and purple colors. CNN Weather

An impactful nor’easter is strengthening as it tracks up the mid-Atlantic coast and unleashes damaging wind gusts and heavy rain.

The storm is packing a serious punch as it slowly moves north and threatens to disrupt air travel at major Northeast airports and push the ocean into homes and onto roads along the mid-Atlantic coast.

This coastal storm is called a nor’easter due to the prevailing wind direction from the northeast ahead of its center. These northeast winds push water toward the coast, causing it to erode beaches and pile up and cause flooding.

Wind gusts over 50 mph have been observ