Despite National Weather Service watches for severe thunderstorms and flash floods throughout the region on Tuesday evening, Ocean City weathered the storm with no major rainfall, wind or hail.
In a special weather statement issued on Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service had warned that a line of powerful thunderstorms could pass over coastal New Jersey between 7 and 9 p.m. Tuesday (July 15).
The NWS issued a severe thunderstorm watch in effect for Ocean City through 9 p.m. Tuesday and a flash flood watch remains in effect through 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Forecasters predicted 1 to 3 inches or more of rain could fall in a brief period of time and that the storm could be accompanied by lightning, damaging wind and hail.
But by the time the severe thunderstorm watch was lifted at 9 p.m. less than a half-inch of rain had fallen in Ocean City after a brief round of thunderstorms passed. Areas of Ocean County appeared to be hit much harder with heavy rain.
A “severe” thunderstorm includes wind gusts of at least 58 mph and/or hail of at least one inch in diameter, according to NBC40 meteorologist Dan Skeldon. A “watch” indicates possibility/likelihood, while a “warning” indicates the actual presence or imminent threat.
Ocean City saw extensive street flooding in a summer storm that dumped about 4 inches of rain in a few hours on Thursday, July 10.
The storms on Tuesday night passed at a mid-tide. Low tide on the flood-prone bay side of Ocean City came at 5:31 p.m. and high tide at 11:41 p.m.
The Mummers Night entertainment on the Ocean City Boardwalk scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday was cancelled due to the weather.
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