Ocean City May Dodge Worst of Summer Heat Wave

Morning fog and an afternoon breeze may help Ocean City escape the worst of a heat wave predicted to start on Wednesday — the first day of summer.

The National Weather Service is warning that heat index values (a measure of temperature and humidity) could approach 100 degrees for much of New Jersey on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.

The local coastal forecast calls for patchy fog before 8 a.m. with a southwest wind of 7 to 9 mph in the morning increasing to 11 to 17 mph in the afternoon. The wind (particularly if it bends off the ocean) could help cool air temperatures that are expected to reach 87 degrees in Ocean City.

The ocean temperature at Steel Pier in Atlantic City was 70.3 degrees on Tuesday evening, and the bay temperature at the in Ocean City was 70.5 degrees (see real-time readings).

The choppy northeast swell that Ocean City has seen over the past week is fading, and waves are expected to be two feet or less on Wednesday.

The heat wave comes suddenly with the arrival of summer. On Tuesday morning under cloudy skies, the temperature was just 64 degrees. That mark could climb by more than 20 degrees in a day.

"High temperatures and humid conditions have the possibility of making outdoor activities and non air-conditioned facilities extremely dangerous and uncomfortable," State Police Superintendent Col. Rick Fuentes said in a news release.

With the southwest winds expected to shift on Thursday to become a land breeze out of the west, Ocean City may not be as lucky. High temperatures are predicted to exceed 90 degrees.