NWS: Tidal flooding in sections of Cape May County worse than Sandy
North Wildwood this morning courtesy of the North Wildwood Police Department.
Tidal flooding in Cape May County reached levels during the morning high tide exceeding that of Superstorm Sandy, creating a storm surge of over 5 feet, forecasters say.
“Substantial, record tidal flooding has occurred across Southern New Jersey with this event,” the National Weather Service writes in its afternoon forecast discussion.
Tidal levels at the Cape May ferry terminal surpassed the record by a few tenths of a foot for Sandy and the Storm of 1962, the discussion states.
At Stone Harbor’s Great Channel, the high tide reached 10.52 feet, surpassing the 9.3 foot record level, according to the US Geological Survey.
To put that in perspective, the highest Sandy surge occurred in Monmouth and Ocean counties, not in Cape May County, where the Sandy surge was lower. This morning’s high tide in central and northern sections of the Jersey Shore was well below Sandy levels.
Several Ocean City residents were rescued from their homes. The Ocean City Office of Emergency Management tells CBS3 in Philadelphia that the homes were filling with tidal waters.
(Video from Ocean City here.)
Forecasters expect similar flood levels during the next two tide cycles due to the combination of the coastal storm, full moon, and strong winds. (Please click here and then click the map for coastal flooding details in your location.)
Franck says that Monmouth County is likely to repeat moderate levels of tidal flooding tonight and tomorrow morning.
In Ocean County to Cape May County, widespread moderate flooding is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning, with pockets of major flooding.
“It’s not safe to say the worst has passed,” Lance Franck, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly N.J., told NewsWorks. “The water levels for tonight’s high tide won’t be as high as this morning. Nevertheless, we’re still expecting moderate to pockets of major tidal flooding down to Cape May County and possibly up to Ocean County.”
High tide along the oceanfront will occur between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. tonight and 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. tomorrow. High tide on the back bays occurs later than the oceanfront.
Follow JSHN for updates throughout the day.
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