Blizzard Slams Ocean City

By MADDY VITALE A typical winter day in Ocean City may include some Boardwalk strollers and residents going about their business of shopping and stopping at local restaurants. But a monster storm brought heavy snow and pummeled the region Friday night into Saturday, making the weekend day anything but a typical one in January. The powerful storm unleashed snow beginning Friday night, with snowfall predicted to continue through Saturday night. The wind gusts of up nearly 50 mph created low visibility at times, coupled with 25 mph to 30 mph sustained winds. People appeared to heed the advice of Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian, who urged residents to stay at home and allow the city's Department of Public Works snowplow crews to clear the streets. “It’s a good day to hunker down and stay warm inside,” Gillian said for a second day in a row in a statement Saturday. “Make sure to check on your neighbors and lend a hand with shoveling out as the storm moves away.” Snow-capped dunes create a wintry scene. (Photo credit: Cynthia Ann on Facebook) Drifting snow made it difficult to determine the exact snow totals, but Frank Donato, the city’s director of the Office of Emergency Management, estimated Ocean City got somewhere in the range of 12 inches. “It is so hard to tell with the wind and the drifting snow,” Donato noted. Donato said judging by the vacant streets, residents likely listened to the mayor’s advice. “There is very little traffic in town, which is a good sign that people are allowing our Public Works crews to do what they have to do,” Donato said. The 34th Street Bridge is covered in snow. (Photo credit: Jennifer Mott Palermo on Facebook) Donato added that the one overwhelmingly positive thing about the storm was that it did not cause much in the way of flooding. “The tide this morning was only minor flooding at 5.7 feet. There was little, if any, water on some low-lying roads,” he said. Ocean City spokesman Doug Bergen said that as of mid-afternoon, the storm was moving away. “I don’t know of any damage or public safety issues,” Bergen pointed out. “I think we were fortunate in a couple of ways. The wind was very strong, but it turned northeast to northwest relatively quickly. That always helps with flooding." All is quiet on the Boardwalk. (Photo courtesy of Ocean City) Like Donato, Bergen remarked about how the snow drifts made it difficult to determine the amount of snowfall. “It's hard to tell exactly how much snow we got, because it’s so drifty,” Bergen said. “You can see grass where the wind has swept some yards clean, but then there are drifts piling up almost to first-floor windows.” Cape May County’s Public Works Department was using a fleet of snowplows to clear the roads around the county. There are 410 lane miles of roads and 28 bridges in Cape May County that are being cleared. “The public is asked to be patient and allow the road crews to safely complete this difficult task,” the county said in a statement. More trucks will be added to help plow the roads. State and municipal Public Works crews are also clearing roads in Cape May County, according to the statement. For more information regarding closings and other impacts of the blizzard, visit the Cape May County government website at www.capemaycountynj.gov. North Street Playground. (Photo courtesy of Ocean City) An aerial shot of the Boardwalk. Surfers brave the icy water. (Photo courtesy of Ocean City)