Forecasters say the looming coastal storm that threatened ongoing cleanup and recovery efforts in New York and New Jersey after the devastation of Sandy is no longer expected to be as powerful as initially feared.

Computer models shifted east with the path of the nor’easter, predicting the storm would miss a good part of far northwest New Jersey, the Catskills and the Poconos and carry far less forceful wind gusts than first forecast.

Meteorologists say coastal flooding is still possible with the system at times of high tide, but wind gusts will level off in the 50 mph range, not the 60 mph to 70 mph range, and waves are not expected to tower as high over already eroded beaches and waterfront properties pummeled by Sandy.

Several inches of wet snow may accumulate in central and northern New Jersey, New York City and the lower Hudson Valley late Wednesday afternoon into the evening, making for a potentially sloppy evening commute.

The revised forecast is welcome news for the Jersey shore, where sand dunes destroyed by Sandy increased the likelihood for flooding in already waterlogged locations. Authorities had also feared the nor’easter would hamper the painstaking power restoration process.

(Source: NBC New York)