Coastal Flood, High Wind Watches In Effect For Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, NJ — A Coastal Flood Watch and High Wind Watch will both be in effect for Ocean City on Friday, March 2, according to the National Weather Service. The Coastal Flood Watch is in effect through Saturday evening. The High Wind Watch will be in effect through Saturday morning.

Northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph and wind gusts up to 65 mph are expected with the High Wind Watch. In a special weather statement issued at noon on Thursday, city officials advised residents to bring in or secure loose objects on their property. Contractors should secure job sites.

Additionally, several high tide cycles could be impacted by a strong coastal storm. With a full moon on tap for Thursday night and heavy rain in the forecast for Friday, the regularly predicted tides are higher than normal, officials said.

Northwest winds generally help push water away from the southern New Jersey coastline. But the forecast calls for a shift to northerly winds on Saturday and Sunday. The wind direction will help determine the severity of any potential flooding this weekend.

“The track and potential impact of the storm are still uncertain, but the NWS right now predicts a tide of 7.3 feet on the mean low water scale for Saturday morning,” officials said. “By comparison, the winter storm ‘Jonas’ reached 7.66 feet in January 2016.”

Water levels are expected to peak around the time of Ocean City’s high tide on the bay side at about 9:03 a.m. Saturday. Flooding also could occur during high tides at 8:17 a.m. and 8:44 p.m. on Friday; 9:30 p.m. on Saturday; and 9:48 a.m. on Sunday, officials said.

Street flooding could occur prior to high tide and may last for several hours. Residents should monitor conditions and be prepared to move vehicles from areas that typically experience flooding.

The roads closer to the beach including Central and Wesley avenues are at higher elevation. These roads also offer the safest routes of travel across the length of the island.

Parking will be available at the Trinity United Methodist Church at 20 North Shore Road in Marmora. Anyone looking to take advantage of this service is asked to read this letter from Trinity first.

Drivers are advised not to drive through flood waters or around barricades. For police and fire department emergencies, call 911. For non-emergencies, call 609-399-9111.

Patch file photo