Storm Floods Roads Throughout Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, NJ — A combination of heavy rain and high tides made many streets impassable in Ocean City on Sunday.

Mayor Jay Gillian warned residents and those visiting the city Sunday of severe flooding lasting through the afternoon. Flood waters began to recede late Sunday night in most areas.

“Ocean City is experiencing extremely heavy rainfall on Sunday, and many streets are flooded,” Gillian said. “For your own safety and to protect vehicles and property, do not drive through flooded streets. Our pumping systems are working, and when the rain slows, we expect the streets to clear quickly.”

Several people posted pictures of flooded streets on the Ocean City, NJ Flooding Facebook group, run by the Ocean City, NJ Flooding Committee, a civilian group and chapter of Higher Ground. The committee also encourages residents and homeowners to upload pictures to iseechange.org, which connects the public and experts on changing environments.

Officials reported a water level of 4.47 feet on the mean low water scale at 1 p.m. Sunday on the bay side of Ocean City. The tide did not reach the scale’s threshold for “minor” coastal flooding, which is 5.3 feet.

On Thursday, high tide is expected to rise back up to 4.8 feet around 4 p.m.

Ocean City and other parts of the state may see more rain and flash flooding this week. The National Weather Service has already issued a flash flood warning for 16 counties, including Cape May, from Wednesday morning through Thursday night as remnants from Hurricane Ida move through the northeast.

The weather service said flooding is possible in creeks, streams and areas with poor drainage. Water is expected to cover roads, particularly in low lying areas.

"Significant flooding and flash flooding is likely Wednesday and Wednesday night, especially given that the ground is saturated from recent heavy rain events," the service said in its alert.

Here is the latest forecast for Ocean City:

Monday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. South wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Monday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 75. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tuesday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. High near 82. East wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain. Low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Thursday: Showers likely, mainly before 2 p.m. The rain could be heavy at times. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Thursday Night: A chance of showers before 8 p.m. Patchy fog after 2 a.m. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

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