Flood Advisory In Effect For Ocean City Through Early Saturday

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The National Weather Service issued a coastal flood advisory for Ocean City from Friday night at 9 p.m. through Saturday at 3 a.m.

A near full-moon tide, easterly winds gusting up to 35 mph and heavy rain are expected to contribute to flooding conditions.

Forecasters expect levels are expected to peak around high tide on the bay side at 10:51 p.m. Friday. The NWS predicts a water level of 6.1 feet on the mean low water scale, indicating "minor" coastal flooding.

Ocean City officials said the advisory could be extended to Saturday night since the water level is expected to reach 6.4 feet, indicating “moderate” tidal flooding, around 11:46 p.m.

The NWS predicts the following for Ocean City:

• Friday: A slight chance of showers between noon and 2 p.m., then rain likely after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. Breezy, with an east wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
• Friday night: Rain and possibly a thunderstorm before 7 p.m., then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m., then rain after 1 a.m. Patchy fog. Low around 56. Northeast wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
• Saturday: Rain. High near 60. Breezy, with a northeast wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
• Saturday night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 54. Northeast wind around 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Residents and guests should be prepared to move vehicles on Friday evening from areas that typically experience tidal flooding or avoid travel until the morning. The roads closer to the beach including Central and Wesley avenues are typically at higher elevation.

Officials advise people not to drive through flood waters or around barricades. Call 911 for emergencies. For non-emergencies, call 609-399-9111.

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