The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning in effect for Ocean City from 6 p.m. Monday (Feb. 16) through noon Tuesday (Feb. 17).
The snowfall forecast calls for 6 to 8 inches in Ocean City with the heaviest accumulation occurring between midnight and 7 a.m.
The Ocean City School District announced early Tuesday morning that all schools will be closed due to the storm. The district has closed the schools two times this school year — once for flooding from a December nor’easter and once in January when Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency for a blizzard that never materialized in New Jersey.
Another arctic front is expected to arrive later in the week with temperatures even colder than on Monday — when the weather station at Atlantic City International Airport recorded a record low 2 degrees. With gusty northwest winds, the wind chill value reached -18 degrees shortly before dawn on Monday.
The old record for Feb. 16 was 3 degrees in 1888 and was recorded in Atlantic City. The new cold blast is expected to arrive Wednesday night through Friday night. Records are 4 degrees for Feb. 19 (1903) and 0 degrees for Feb. 20 (1966).
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The winds later in the week are not expected to be as strong as they were Sunday and Monday, so wind chill values will not be as harsh.
A new moon tide at 8:14 a.m. Thursday is predicted at an exceptional high of 4.80 feet (mean low water), but there appears to be no accompanying wind or precipitation events in the forecast to compound flooding concerns.
See the National Weather Service briefing below.
