Dead Humpback Whale Washes Up On LBI After Christmas Storm

BARNEGAT – The body of a dead humpback whale washed ashore at a Jersey Shore state park on Christmas after a storm moved through, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.

Bob Schoelkopf, the center’s director, told Patch that the whale washed up in the area of Barnegat Lighthouse State Park on Long Beach Island.

Schoelkopf said the center hasn't been able to perform a necropsy on the whale because it's frozen.

Schoelkopf said his center will return to the lighthouse area to examine the whale on Monday morning.

He said the whale washed after the storm, but it's too soon to tell what killed the animal. he said it's possible that it was hit by a boat or ship or it died of a disease.

He asked people to steer clear of the whale and not take "selfies" with it, saying he wants the carcass to remain untouched until the whale can be examined.

A few hundred were still without power on Sunday evening after the storm blew through. The state warned people about a drop in temperatures that could create "black ice," all caused by the Christmas storm (see towns with power outages and roadway problems below).

Black ice is the slick patch that is barely visible and can render a car uncontrollable on roadways, causing many accidents. Read more: Who Got The Strongest Winds, Most Rain? NJ Town-By-Town Totals