Snowfall totals from the blizzard are expected to range from 12 to 24 inches throughout New Jersey. (Courtesy of National Weather Service)
The National Weather Service has issued a Blizzard Warning and a Coastal Flood Watch in effect for Ocean City on Sunday and Monday (Feb. 22 and Feb. 23).
A strong winter storm will move up the coast starting on Sunday afternoon and bring 12 to 18 inches of snow by the time it stops on Monday. The Blizzard Warning will be in effect from 1 p.m. Sunday through 6 p.m. Monday.
At the same time, the forecast calls for significant coastal flooding through at least two high tide cycles.
Water levels are predicted to peak in the hours around high tide on the bay side (Ninth Street Bridge) of Ocean City at midnight on Sunday night and again at 12:30 p.m. on Monday.
The NWS predicts a peak water level of 7.0 feet on the mean low water scale (MLW) for 12:01 a.m. Feb. 23 and 6.4 feet MLW for 12:30 p.m. Feb 23. By comparison, the water level reached 7.06 feet MLW as Hurricane Erin passed by on Aug. 21, 2025, and 6.95 feet MLW during the Columbus Day Weekend nor’easter in 2025.
Visit www.ocnj.us/octides to compare this prediction to other recent and historic tide levels.
Residents should be prepared to monitor conditions and to move vehicles to safe places well in advance of these high tides and the start of snowfall. The roads closer to the beach including Central and Wesley avenues are typically at higher elevation.
Parking is now free at all municipal lots in the city. Parking also will be available at the Trinity United Methodist Church at 20 North Shore Road in Marmora.
Road conditions will be hazardous throughout Sunday and Monday. For your safety and the protection of your vehicle and neighboring properties, never drive on any street covered by water. Do not disregard barricades on flooded streets. Please make preparations on Saturday and avoid any unnecessary travel on Sunday and Monday.
Write down the following emergency contact numbers for local utility companies should you experience outages or other problems during the upcoming winter storm:
The utility companies recommend you contact them directly as soon as you experience a problem so that they can properly track outages and repairs.
At this time, no closings have been announced. Check back for updates throughout the weekend. For Police and Fire Department emergencies, call 911. For non-emergencies, call 609-399-9111.
