The things that make this storm unique is a combination of the hurricane, a strong cold front moving from the West and the jet stream running between the two. Presently, the hurricane is about an hour or two from the New Jersey shore with 90 mph (145 kph) sustained winds with gusts to 115 mph (185 kph). The size of the storm and wind field is the largest I can ever recall, see the spread below:
For the New York airports, both KLGA and KJFK are along the southern small end of the Long Island Sound. The wind is coming out of the North, forcing the water to the South and this evening with high tide at 10PM EDT, the expected water level will be ~9-13 feet above normal plus whatever wave action and the full moon adds to the equation. We are 700+ miles inland to the West and are starting to see significant wind gusts, later tonight 50+ mph. Three of the Great Lakes, Ontario, Erie and Michigan are or will experience 20 feet waves. On top of all this will be loss of electrical power from all the trees that will fall and based on personal experience, it takes anywhere from 4 days to two weeks to restore electrical power. So, this is an exceptional weather event that many people will remember for a long time here in the Eastern USA.