Winds from Hurricane Cristobal topped 80 mph on Tuesday night as the storm passed between Bermuda and the Southeast United States on its journey over the open water of the Atlantic Ocean.
Ocean City will not see wind, rain or clouds from the distant storm, but as it gathers strength over the next 48 hours, Cristobal is expected to generate increased surf that will reach the island starting on Wednesday afternoon and peaking on Thursday morning at 5 to 7 feet, according to most local surf reports..
With the waves hitting the island, strong currents in the surf will increase dramatically, and swimmers will be urged to swim only at beaches protected by the Ocean City Beach Patrol between 9:30 a.m and 5 p.m.
The effects of Cristobal will fade by Friday and be gone by the weekend.
Local winds for Wednesday afternoon will be steady out of the south, and the marine forecast for Thursday morning calls for favorable offshore (northwest) winds that will create good conditions for surfers.
The ocean water temperature is 77 degrees, and low tide on the ocean side of Ocean City comes at 3:17 p.m. on Wednesday.
Cristobal is the third named storm of the 2014 hurricane season.
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