Coastal Storm Prompts Wind, Tidal Flood Warnings for Ocean County

Forecast wind gusts Wednesday, April 3, 2024. (Credit: NWS)

Yet another coastal storm – the latest in a line of seemingly unending foul weather – has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a wind advisory and coastal flood warning for Ocean County.

According to the NWS office in Mount Holly, the wind advisory will run from 8 a.m. Wednesday morning to 10 p.m. Wednesday night. The coastal flood warning will run until Thursday at 10 a.m.

Northeast to east winds 20 to 30 m.p.h. with gusts up to 50 m.p.h. are expected, the NWS advisory said. “Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.”

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The strongest winds were predicted to arrive in the afternoon hours.

In its notice for the coastal flood warning, the NWS is predicting one to two feet of inundation above ground level in low- lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways.

“At this level, widespread roadway flooding occurs in coastal and bayside communities and along inland tidal waterways. Many roads become impassable,” the warning said. “Some damage to vulnerable structures may begin to occur.”

Officials warned motorists against driving around barricades noting flooded streets.

For Wednesday, the NWS was predicting periods of rain, with thunderstorms also possible after 1 p.m. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. The high will be near 50. It will be windy, with an east wind around 30 m.p.h, with gusts as high as 50 m.p.h. Rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches were possible.

Periods of rain and possibly a thunderstorm will occur before midnight between Wednesday and Thursday, then rain likely. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. The overnight low will be around 43. It will remain breezy, with gusts as high as 35 m.p.h. Another quarter to half-inch of rain was possible.

Cloudy skies were expected to linger into Thursday, with a chance of thunderstorms in the early evening hours. Cloudy skies and highs in the high 40s and low 50s were forecast through Saturday. The NWS is calling for the next sunny day to occur Sunday, with a high of 51 degrees.