Wave Heights Of 8 To 9 Feet On Monmouth County Beaches Forecast For Today

Hurricane Maria is not expected to make landfall anywhere near the Monmouth County coast. But the storm is already churning up massive waves of up to 10 feet, according to the National Weather Service.

A high risk of rip currents will bring dangerous and life-threatening conditions today. People visiting the unguarded beaches should stay out of the water. Wave heights of 8 to 9 feet will be accompanied by southeasterly swells of 6 to 7 feet. The ocean water temperature is 72 degrees.

Please remember that very few beaches are guarded this late in the year. Several people have died over the past few days and more than 100 have had to be rescued by emergency personnel because they swam on unguarded beaches.

Skies today will be mostly cloudy, with highs in the upper 70s. Winds will be from the east at 5 t0 10 miles per hour.

Despite the clouds, the ultraviolet index is a 6, which the National Weather Service considers high. there is no lightning threat.

Low tide at Belmar rolled in at 5:37 a.m. High tide will arrive at 12:23 p.m., followed by another low tide at 6:27 p.m.

Photo: Belmar Mayor Matthew Doherty