Nor'easter to take unusual track. Here's what that means for the Boston weather forecast.

Key Points:

• A nor'easter is impacting Massachusetts this weekend with a long-duration wind and rain event, prompting NEXT Weather Alert days for Saturday and Sunday due to potential wind, flooding, and erosion impacts, especially along the coast.
• The storm is expected to take an unusual track, making landfall near Atlantic City, New Jersey, which is somewhat favorable for southern New England by avoiding a more severe classic nor'easter path.
• Coastal areas of Massachusetts will experience the strongest effects, including northeast wind gusts of 50-65 mph on Cape Ann, Cape Cod, and the Islands, with coastal flood warnings and wave heights reaching up to 12 feet on beaches.
• Rainfall totals are forecasted between 1-3 inches for most areas, with isolated amounts up to 6 inches near the coast and southeastern Massachusetts, raising concerns for localized street flooding but not major river flooding.
• The nor'easter will bring heavy rain and peak winds primarily on Saturday, with conditions gradually improving into Monday and Tuesday, though coastal flooding and scattered power outages remain possible through the weekend.