Nor’easter Impacts In Asbury Park: Rain, Snow, Possible Flooding

ASBURY PARK – A “major" nor'easter hit Asbury Park on Wednesday and Thursday, producing snow and rain that's supposed to get worse as the evening approaches.

The National Weather Service labeled the "major" system a "nor'easter" since it was expected to produce strong, sustained damaging winds and precipitation over a 24-hour period on Wednesday and Thursday.

As of Thursday morning, 418 power outages were reported in Asbury Park.

Due to expected high winds, recycling pick up for Zone 3 is canceled for Thursday. Please do not put recyclables out for pick up tonight or tomorrow. Recycling will be picked up on the next scheduled pickup day.

Several inches of snow did fall in the area. Read more: Snow Totals, Town-By-Town, For Nor'easter On Wednesday And Thursday

A high wind warning was in effect for sustained onshore winds of 30-40 mph with gusts to 60 mph.
A coastal flood warning was in effect for widespread moderate coastal flooding Thursday morning.

Tides / Coastal Flooding:

• Minor to moderate coastal flooding was expected around Wednesday's high tide, which was to occur at 9 p.m.
• Surge values will continue to build overnight, and are forecast to peak around 4 feet during the early morning hours. The closer the surge peak occurs in relation to tomorrow morning's high tide, the higher the flooding we will observe.
• Widespread moderate coastal flooding is expected with Thursday morning's high tide which occurs at 9:20 a.m. There is a potential for a more significant flood event if the storm slows its forward motion and the peak surge coincides with the morning high tide. Coastal Residents are urged to closely follow the progress of this storm and take appropriate protective actions.

Here's what could happen on Thursday:

Preparations:

When a coastal flood warning is issued, moderate or greater coastal flooding is expected within 12-hours. If you live in areas exposed to tidal flooding, please take the necessary actions to secure property and move vehicles to higher ground.

Roadways will become flooded and impassable for extended periods, and access onto and off of the beachfront will become limited. Do not attempt to drive over a flooded road or around police barricades, local officials said.

Asbury Park Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn said the city is hoping for rain but taking its usual precautions. The city is also doing maintenance on all of its equipment to make sure the plows are operational.

"Staff who are out on vacation have been notified that they may be called in if the weather is severe," she said. "We will continue to monitor conditions and begin plowing and salting as appropriate."

Mayor John Moor said preparation has been underway since last week, including fine-tuning procedures and pretreating streets.

"The city has been sending out reports to our residents via our website, social media, and Nixle. Hoping it is only rain," he said.

Monmouth County DPW crews pre-treated critical roads with liquid salt brine overnight on Tuesday, to prevent snow and ice from bonding to the road surface. As weather conditions transition to snow, road crews will be applying rock salt treated with magnesium chloride.

The storm was expected to be fierce enough to produce plowable snow or possible flooding and more was expected to arrive overnight and into Thursday (see the forecast below).

Here were the expected snow totals:

State officials said they have more than 400 pieces of road equipment available to make the roads safe, even though fewer people are taking to the roads because of the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: Gov. Murphy Declares State Of Emergency For NJ Nor'easter Snow

AccuWeather was saying the system could be the "most significant winter storm in several years," one that could potentially become highly impactful and disruptive as the first round of coronavirus vaccines continue to be shipped around the country.

AccuWeather warned of major disruptions to travel and even travel shutdowns, as well as shipping delays, school closings and power outages from this "blockbuster storm," – even though a number of New Jersey school districts have said they'll opt to go remote instead of closing.

Here is the forecast:

• Wednesday night: Rain and snow, then rain after midnight. The rain, snow, and sleet could be heavy at times. Low around 29. Windy, with an east wind 25 to 30 mph decreasing to 20 to 25 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected.
• Thursday: Snow likely, mainly before 9 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Breezy, with a north wind 20 to 25 mph decreasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New snow accumulation of less than a half-inch possible.