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Ocean City on Thursday morning and Thursday night weathered the first two of several high tides that could cause substantial flooding.
With no rain at the time of high tide at 11:19 a.m. Thursday, the island saw only very limited street flooding. The second high tide around midnight did not reach the level of the first.
Check back with OCNJ Daily for photographs and reports on real-time conditions in Ocean City as a northeast gale brings heavy rain and wind to Ocean City through the weekend, and a hurricane moves up the Atlantic Ocean, possibly affecting Ocean City.
Peak tide level: 3.87 feet on the NAVD88 Scale (or 6.64 feet Mean Low Water) at 11:48 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1; and 3.68 feet on the NAVD88 Scale (or 6.45 feet MLW) at 12:12 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 2. (See tide level in real time at the Bayside Center on the 500 block of Bay Avenue in Ocean City.)
How high is that tide? The 6.64 feet is the highest tide of the calendar year. It falls in what forecasters call “moderate tidal flooding” range of 6.5 feet to 7.5 feet. Superstorm Sandy, by comparison, was a record 10.02 feet on the MLW scale. (See OCNJ Daily’s chart of historic and recent record flood levels.)
Observations: Without rain adding to the mix, not too much of the tidal flood made it onto the streets. Some of the usually flood-prone intersections were covered by water — likely backing up through the storm drain system. The beach at the north end is taking a pretty good beating with big storm surf crashing into the dunes at Fifth Street and Waverly Beach. The beaches at the south end are losing some of the new sand from the just-completed Army Corps of Engineers replenishment project. But what was a very steep slope from the edge of the beach into deep water now appears to be more gradual with the redistribution of sand. The wind topped out a 28 mph on Thursday at 2:06 p.m., according to readings from an anemometer at 59th Street.
The Forecast: The National Weather Service continues to predict rain, heavy at times, every day through Monday — with a collective accumulation of 4 inches possible. The marine forecast calls for winds to peak on Friday at 30 to 40 mph with gusts beyond 50 mph. Unrelated to the northeast gale, Category 4 Hurricane Joaquin now has sustained winds of 130 mph as it approaches the Bahamas on Thursday afternoon. Forecasters as of 5 p.m. Thursday were favoring a track that would pass by Ocean City over the open ocean (read more about the hurricane). The National Hurricane Center warns that because models have changed so much overnight, its confidence in a long-range forecast is low.
National Weather Service Briefing: Read the most current briefing from the NWS.
High Tides: Residents and visitors should be aware of the following high tides (on Ocean City’s bay side at the Ninth Street Bridge) and be prepared to move vehicles from flood-prone streets (particularly during heavy rainfall):
- Wednesday: 10:55 p.m.
- Thursday: 11:19 a.m. and 11:49 p.m.
- Friday: 12:13 p.m.
- Saturday: 12:45 a.m. and 1:08 p.m.
- Sunday: 1:42 a.m. and 2:05 p.m.
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Postponements:
- The Ocean City School District will be closed on Friday.
- The Bike MS: City to Shore ride has been cancelled with no reschedule date.
- The HERO Foundation Walk has been rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10.
- The Ocean City Firefighters’ glowball golf event for Operation First Response has been postponed until Friday, Oct. 9.
- A Clean Ocean Action check presentation at Henry’s on the Boardwalk has been postponed with a rescheduled date to be determined.
- All games and practices for Ocean City Intermediate School have been cancelled for Thursday.
- The Ocean City High School away football game at St. Augustine’s Prep (originally scheduled for Friday) has been rescheduled for Thursday (Oct. 1) at 6 p.m.
- OCHS soccer and tennis games are postponed.
Ocean City Emergency Management Statement:
