Ocean City Prepares For Major Winter Storm: Latest Forecast, How To Prepare

OCEAN CITY, NJ — As New Jersey braces for a winter storm set to begin on Saturday night, Patch has created a guide for impacts in Ocean City, local preparations and more.

According to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service, New Jerseyans should expect around 12-18 inches of snow from Saturday night to Monday.

In the Ocean City area, forecasters are predicting 8 to 12 inches of total snow accumulation. All of the Garden State is expected to be under Winter Storm Watch from Saturday evening through Monday afternoon.

• Read: New Snowfall Accumulation Estimates Released For NJ

Ahead of the storm, Mayor Jay Gillian advised residents to prepare early with the following steps:

"We have about 110 miles of roadway in Ocean City. Evacuation routes and primary roads will be plowed first. Then we’ll work on secondary roads, and then we’ll move on to the alleys," Gillian said.

The Ocean City Office of Emergency Management shared the following:

Road conditions are expected to be hazardous. Residents should make preparations in advance and limit travel during and immediately after the storm. Be advised that West Avenue is a designated Snow Emergency Route and parking is prohibited on both sides of the street when the road is covered by snow.

Please write down the following emergency contact numbers for local utility companies should you experience outages or other problems during the upcoming winter storm:

• Atlantic City Electric: 800-833-7476
• South Jersey Gas: 888-766-9900
• Comcast Cable: 800-COMCAST (800-266-2278)

The utility companies recommend you contact them directly as soon as you experience a problem so that they can properly track outages and repairs.

Freezing temperatures are predicted throughout the weekend. Make sure thermostat settings in unoccupied homes are above 60 degrees, and please check on neighboring homes for frozen pipes.
For Police and Fire Department emergencies, call 911. For non-emergencies, call police at 609-399-9111 or City Hall at 609-399-6111.

For those without shelter, a “Code Blue” alert is in place until 6 a.m. Sunday in Cape May County.

“Code Blue” is put in place when temperatures drop below freezing (32 F), and conditions pose a threat to unsheltered individuals.

If you or someone you know does not have shelter in Cape May County, they can go to:

• Seashore Community Church (Erma)

You can also get help by calling 2-1-1 or visiting the NJ211 website.