The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch in effect for the region Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon, but Ocean City will have to worry more about the sea than the sky.
A near-full-moon tide, northeast winds gusting up to 40 knots (46 mph) and heavy rain likely will combine to flood some streets — particularly during a high tide 7:04 a.m. Thursday (Feb. 13).
Residents on flood-prone streets will want to consider moving their vehicles to higher ground during the nor'easter.
The watch suggests inland areas could see as much as 4 to 12 inches of snow in a storm that will start as all snow but change over to a snow and sleet mix on Thursday morning, then all rain on Thursday afternoon. The changeover is predicted to start much earlier at the shore with only minimal accumulation of snow.
Wet snow on power lines and heavy winds could lead to power outages in some areas.
Thursday's tidal flooding will be accompanied by sustained winds of 28 to 35 mph and seas 8 to 11 feet, according to the marine forecast. The full moon occurs on Friday (Feb. 14), and Thursday's tide level is predicted to be higher than usual (3.88 feet). (
See real-time tide levels at the Bayside Center on the 500 block of Bay Avenue in Ocean City.)
The low temperature on Wednesday night will dip to 31 degrees, according to the National Weather Service forecast. But the high on Thursday will be well above freezing at 40 degrees. The sun is expected to return by Saturday.
NBC40 meteorologist Dan Skeldon predicts the greatest snowfall northwest of the Interstate 95 corridor.
"Along the shore, rain, wind, and tidal flooding impacts likely greater than any snow impact," Skeldon said. "Any change in storm track can change the rain/snow line and these ideas. But you would need a pretty dramatic shift to bring heavy snows all the way to the shore. "
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