Ocean City Could See 'Moderate' Coastal Flooding Friday

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The National Weather Service has issued a coastal flood watch for Ocean City on Friday as forecasters anticipate "moderate" flood levels on the bay side.

The coastal flood watch, which indicates potentially more significant risks than a coastal flood advisory, will go into effect Friday from noon to 8 p.m.

A wind advisory predicting sustained easterly winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph will also be in effect from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday. Forecasters expect these winds will contribute to flooding conditions.

Officials expect water levels to peak in the hours around high tide on the bay side (Ninth Street Bridge) of Ocean City at 2:02 p.m. Thursday and 3:03 p.m. Friday.

The NWS predicts a water level of 6.2 feet on the mean low water (MLW) scale for Thursday and 6.5 feet MLW on Friday, exceeding the threshold for "moderate" flooding.

Residents should be prepared to monitor conditions and move vehicles to avoid street flooding. The roads closer to the beach including Central and Wesley avenues are typically at higher elevation.

Free parking will be available at all municipal lots in town. Parking also will be available at the Trinity United Methodist Church at 20 North Shore Road in Marmora.

Officials urge people not to drive through flood waters or around barricades for the protection of your vehicle and neighboring properties.

The city urges all motorists to stay off flooded streets at all times. Conditions are made worse by vehicles plowing through flood waters and creating damaging wakes. Police will enforce against this reckless driving.

Here's the latest forecast for Ocean City:

This Afternoon: Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Northeast wind around 10 mph.

Tonight: Cloudy, with a low around 55. East wind around 15 mph.

Friday: Showers, mainly after 2 p.m. High near 66. Windy, with an east wind 20 to 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Showers, mainly before 2 a.m. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 59. Windy, with an east wind 25 to 30 mph decreasing to 15 to 20 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.