Even if a hurricane is about to make landfall in the Southern states, the Northern States in the USA need to be prepared as well. The wind and rain will span out from the storm at an incredible distance. Northern US inhabitants need to remember that weather is extremely unpredictable as well – A storm may look like it will diminish before it travels north, when the storm’s size, shape or route may change drastically. Keeping extra water, food, flashlights and supplies on hand during hurricane season is a good idea.
As we have seen with Hurricane Florence first touching land in the Carolina’s in 2018, rain and wind from a hurricane can span far distances, with weather warnings reaching as far as Maine in this case. Smaller storms also have the ability to pop up and linger longer when hurricane bands travel north.
Hurricane Sandy from 2012 is also a perfect example on this topic. Hurricane Sandy began as a tropical depression in the Caribbean Sea off the northeast coast of Nicaragua, ultimately expelling its damaging forces all the way north to Pennsylvania. New York and New Jersey were also hit very hard from this storm, causing significant damage to homes and businesses due to extreme winds and flooding conditions. Not only were homes and businesses severely damaged, subway systems endured damage and millions of people lost power. Flooding from Hurricane Sandy had major effects on all coastal states as flood walls were out-of-date, and the cities also did not have sufficient plans in place to deal with potential disaster resulting from the hurricane.
Although it is rare for a full blown hurricane to happen in the northern states, it is not out of the question. Therefore, residents in cities and states outside of the initial touch-down location of a hurricane also need to know the dangers and be prepared for what could come. Having emergency hurricane plans in plan for these storms cuts down the horrific effects they can have.
Source
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/hurricane-sandy