Nor'easter slams the coast from Jersey to Cape Cod as NJ and NY declare emergencies. Don't drive into water you can't see the bottom of.

Here's where things stood Friday evening. A powerful early-fall nor'easter intensified along the East Coast with storm-force winds and big surf, putting tens of millions of people in its path through the weekend, CBS News and the AP report. New Jersey and New York declared states of emergency, and low-lying parts of Manasquan, N.J., were under a voluntary evacuation. Brian Hurley of the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center said the heaviest rain would likely fall from coastal Jersey and Long Island up through Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, with the storm weakening later Saturday. NWS meteorologist Matthew Belk put peak gusts near 60 to 65 mph on Cape Cod and the islands, 50 to 55 around Boston and 35 to 40 inland. Sea Bright's mayor warned some streets could flood up to 6 feet. Early storms carry a hidden risk: leaves are still on the trees, so limbs catch more wind and come down on power lines. Charge your phones, fill the tank, tie down the porch furniture and know your route to high ground. And if you see drivers pushing through floodwater, don't follow. Turn around. Water always wins.