Punishing Wind, Pounding Rain, Power Outages, But No Snow In Ocean County

The National Weather Service continues to dial back the expected effects in Ocean County of the nor'easter that is bringing heavy snow to other parts of New Jersey.

Ocean County is now under a winter storm advisory, with heavy rain and strong winds continuing to buffet the region. A coating of snow that fell late Monday night has been washed away by rain that began pounding down in the wee hours Tuesday morning as temperatures stayed well above freezing.

The biggest concern in Ocean County is the possibility of moderate coastal flooding, particularly around the time of high tide. The National Weather Service forecast said the flooding warning will remain in effect until about 3 p.m. because the onshore wind will help drive water in.

The wind was driving the surf well up on the beach in Point Pleasant Beach as well.

Areas that typically flood in heavy rain were seeing some high water as of late morning, with many people poking fun at the blizzard predictions.

Strong winds have caused scattered power outages as they have brought down power lines and some trees, including this one in the Silver Ridge section.

The National Weather Service said flooding will continue to be a possibility both on the oceanfront and in the back bays, where high tide occurs much later, with heights of 2 to 3 feet above the astronomical tide. Wave heights on the ocean are forecast to be from 12 to 18 feet with 6- to 9-foot waves breaking at the shore, forecasters said. High tide occurred on the oceanfront between 10:30 and 11 a.m. and will occur in the back bay areas later in the afternoon.

Toms River and Brick Township authorities both urged residents to move vehicles to higher ground from flood-prone areas.

See wind-driven waves at the inlet in Point Pleasant Beach:

Image via Shutterstock