Now that the weekend is upon us and the storm we’ve been talking about all week long is slowly on the move, there are a plethora of advisories. I wanted the share the official National Weather Service statements from Cape May, through Delaware, Ocean City, and Virginia coastal areas. You will notice the text in all caps, as they arrive from NWS. The highlight are waves averaging 7 to 10 feet. Factor in astronomical high tide with the equinox, full super moon, and lunar eclipse Sunday night… and the max potential impact will be felt. If you have been reading my posts for the past few years, then you may recall I often call for storms themselves to be stronger when there is a full moon. Sadly, SunFest will be a spray fest in OC this weekend. The Ocean City Advisories and Tide Chart is below.
…HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING…
…COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EDT
SUNDAY…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOUNT HOLLY HAS ISSUED A HIGH RIP
CURRENT RISK…WHICH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. THE
COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT.
* LOCATION…COASTAL AREAS OF SUSSEX COUNTY DELAWARE AND CAPE
MAY COUNTY NEW JERSEY INCLUDING THE BACK BAYS AND INLETS.
* COASTAL FLOODING…WIDESPREAD MINOR TIDAL FLOODING EXPECTED ON
SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. ISOLATED MINOR TIDAL FLOODING
IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH HIGH TIDE SATURDAY MORNING. COASTAL
FLOODING WILL ALSO IMPACT THE INLETS AND BACK BAYS AS THE
ONSHORE FLOW IS PREVENTING DRAINAGE.
* TIMING...HIGH TIDES ON THE NEW JERSEY AND DELAWARE COASTS WILL
OCCUR BETWEEN 700 PM AND 800 PM SATURDAY EVENING AND 730 AM AND
830 AM SUNDAY MORNING. HIGH TIDES ON THE BACK BAYS AND INLETS
OCCUR LATER THAN THE OCEANFRONT.
* WAVES…WAVE HEIGHTS ON THE OCEAN WATERS OFF THE COAST WILL BE
BETWEEN 7 AND 10 FEET.
* RIP CURRENT…A NORTHEAST WIND OF 20 TO 25 MPH ALONG WITH AN
EASTERLY SWELL AND HIGH SEAS WILL CONTINUE TO CREATE VERY
HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS ALONG THE NEW JERSEY AND DELAWARE
OCEANFRONTS.
* IMPACTS...WATER LEVELS HIGHER THAN NORMAL WILL RESULT IN MINOR
INUNDATION OF LOW LYING AREAS WHICH WILL LEAD TO ROAD
CLOSURES. THIS WILL BE ESPECIALLY TRUE ON SATURDAY EVENING AND
SUNDAY MORNING. BEACH EROSION IS ALSO LIKELY. THERE IS A HIGH
RISK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS.
* OUTLOOK…THERE WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO BE AN ELEVATED RISK
FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS AS WELL AS MINOR
TIDAL FLOODING DEEPER INTO THE WEEKEND INTO MONDAY MORNING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY MEANS THAT MINOR TIDAL FLOODING IS
EXPECTED MINOR TIDAL FLOODING OFTEN RESULTS IN SOME ROAD
CLOSURES. USUALLY…THE MOST VULNERABLE ROADWAYS WILL FLOOD.
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR VEHICLE AT A LOCATION THAT IS PRONE TO TIDAL
FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOOD WATERS. THE
WATER MAY BE DEEPER THAN YOU THINK IT IS. YOU WILL BE PUTTING
YOURSELF IN DANGER AND YOUR VEHICLE MAY BE DAMAGED…LEADING TO
COSTLY REPAIRS.
FOR A LIST OF THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT TIDE HEIGHTS IN YOUR COUNTY
PLEASE GO TO WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/PHI/TIDES.HTM (ALL IN LOWER CASE).
A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IMPLIES THAT WIND AND/OR WAVE
CONDITIONS WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF VERY STRONG RIPS
CURRENTS. THESE RIP CURRENTS WILL BE LIFE THREATENING TO ANYONE
WHO ENTERS THE SURF. RIP CURRENTS ARE POWERFUL CHANNELS OF WATER
FLOWING QUICKLY AWAY FROM SHORE…WHICH OCCUR MOST OFTEN AT LOW
SPOTS OR BREAKS IN THE SANDBAR AND IN THE VICINITY OF STRUCTURES
SUCH AS GROINS…JETTIES AND PIERS. HEED THE ADVICE OF LIFEGUARDS
AND THE BEACH PATROL. PAY ATTENTION TO FLAGS AND POSTED SIGNS.
Ocean City and Virginia
…HIGH SURF ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT SUNDAY…
…BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING…
…COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 9 AM EDT SATURDAY…
…COASTAL FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY…
WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 9 AM EDT SATURDAY. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY HAS
ALSO BEEN ISSUED. THIS HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT SUNDAY.
IN ADDITION…A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED. THIS COASTAL FLOOD WATCH
IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING.
* HAZARDS…LARGE BREAKING WAVES…COASTAL FLOODING…AND A HIGH
RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS.
* LOCATION…AREA BEACHES FROM OCEAN CITY MARYLAND AND THE VIRGINIA EASTERN
SHORE.
* SURF HEIGHT…7 TO 9 FEET.
* TIMING…MINOR COASTAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE DURING HIGH TIDE
SATURDAY MORNING. MODERATE COASTAL FLOODING IS POSSIBLE DURING
HIGH TIDE SATURDAY EVENING AND SUNDAY MORNING.
* IMPACTS…INUNDATION OF WATER IN AND NEAR LOW-LYING COASTAL AREAS COULD LEAD
TO ROAD CLOSURES AND FLOODING OF PROPERTY.
* IMPACTS…LARGE AND BREAKING WAVES WILL BE DANGEROUS TO ANYONE WHO ENTERS
THE SURF. THERE WILL ALSO BE DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS AND BEACH EROSION.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
DANGEROUS SHOREBREAK OF 4 FEET OR GREATER CAN CAUSE NECK AND SPINAL INJURIES…
AFFECTING EVEN THE MOST ABLE SWIMMERS. SHOREBREAK OCCURS WHEN WAVES BREAK
DIRECTLY ON THE BEACH POTENTIALLY CAUSING NECK AND HEAD INJURIES.
A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS MEANS WIND AND OR WAVE CONDITIONS SUPPORT THE
DEVELOPMENT OF VERY STRONG RIP CURRENTS…ESPECIALLY IN THE VICINITY OF
JETTIES…PIERS…AND SANDBARS. THESE RIP CURRENTS WILL BE LIFE-THREATENING TO
ANYONE WHO ENTERS THE SURF. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS WITH OUTGOING TIDES WHICH
IMPROVE RIP CURRENT FORMATION. ALL BEACH GOERS SHOULD REMAIN AWARE OF INHERENT
DANGERS WHEN ENTERING THE SURF INCLUDING SWIFT LONGSHORE CURRENTS…POUNDING
SHORE BREAK AND SHALLOW SAND BARS.
ALWAYS HEED THE ADVICE OF LIFEGUARDS. PAY ATTENTION TO FLAGS AND SIGNS POSTED
NEAR BEACH ACCESS POINTS AND LIFEGUARD STATIONS.
&&
A BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IS ISSUED WHEN THREATS SUCH AS RIP CURRENTS…
LONGSHORE CURRENTS…LARGE BREAKING WAVES AND OTHER HAZARDS ARE POSSIBLE.
CAUTION SHOULD BE USED WHEN IN OR NEAR THE WATER.
PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE TO SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEW BEACH
HAZARDS STATEMENT…
Please share your thoughts, best weather pics/video, or just keep in touch via social media
- Facebook: Justin Berk, Meteorologist
- Twitter: @JustinWeather
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