“There’s a storm?” Blake Reed, 24, said as he sipped coffee outside TimeOut Market in Fenway. “I didn’t even know!”
Although the heavy rain hasn’t started yet, New England is about to experience its first nor’easter of the fall-winter season. Starting Sunday afternoon and lasting through early Tuesday, the storm is expected to bring drenching rain, coastal flooding, and harsh winds.
For some residents, the forecast was little cause for concern, a seasonal New England rite they have come to expect.
“We’ve been through lots of these kinds of storms,” said Cory Smith of Brookline, out on a neighborhood walk with his child on his shoulders. “We’re not worried. We’re out, we’re out walking along the Riverway, we’re just gonna do our thing.”
Smith said he’s lived in the area for eight years and has yet to encounter weather to rival that of his native Florida.
“I’m used to hurricanes and other weather events, and they seem very mild when we get them here,” he said, laughing.
Nearby, the sky hung heavy with the promise of rain over Longwood Playground, but a group of young tee-ball players in cleats and bright caps were undeterred.
After all, a bit of foul weather is nothing to an up-and-coming Trevor Story — as young Elijah Tierney, wearing #5 and serving as pitcher’s helper, fashions himself to be.
“He’s an obsessed baseball fan,” Elijah’s dad, Dan, said between cheers from the sidelines. “So we’re really glad that we were able to get this in.
Tierney said he’s lived in Boston since 2015, the year of a blizzard so massive it came to be known as “Snowmageddon.“ “That was my impression of what the weather here was going to be like,” he said. “And it’s never been that bad since… [so] I’m not overly concerned.”
Nor’easters are often thought of as winter snowmakers, but the name actually refers to the wind direction — strong gusts blowing from the northeast as the storm’s counter-clockwise spin lingers just offshore. Early-season storms like this one are usually wet and windy rather than snowy.
This nor’easter is predicted to bring multi-day rain totals reaching 3 to 4 inches and damaging winds ranging from 30 to 50 mph. Widespread power outages and travel delays are expected, including possible delays and cancellations at Logan Airport.
One flyer, Sasha Iosava, 20, visiting from State College, Pa., said she has been monitoring the forecast closely ahead of her flight home out of Logan later Sunday.
“I’ve had flights get delayed and cancelled because of bad weather before, so I was definitely nervous about it,” she said.
But she admitted the drizzle was typical for Boston.
“Boston is kind of known for the cold,” she said, “so I’m not too surprised that it rained while I was here.”
And some people actually enjoy Boston for its characteristic foul weather. Sophia Park, 19, in town from Miami, said she prefers the New England climate, even when it is cold and rainy.
“I’m originally from Rockport, but then we moved to Florida because my mom loves the warmth,” she said. “I miss the seasons and the leaves turning, and [fall] is the best time for all of that.”
Rita Chandler can be reached at rita.chandler@globe.com. Katie Cressman can be reached at katherine.cressman@globe.com. Alexa Coultoff can be reached at alexa.coultoff@globe.com. Follow her @alexacoultoff.
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