The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flood Watch and a High Wind Watch for the Borough of Stone Harbor. The Flood Watch is in effect from late Friday night, January 22nd through Sunday at 12 Noon on January 24th. The High Wind Watch is in effect for the entire day on Saturday, January 23rd. Today, Stone Harbor participated in a conference with the Cape May County Office of Emergency Management which is under the leadership of its director, Martin Pagliughi.

A major coastal storm will bring snow, rain, strong winds, and coastal flooding to the entire State of New Jersey this weekend. Stone Harbor expects the storm to begin as snow Friday evening, change over to a snow/rain mix and eventually all rain on Saturday, before potentially switching back to snow on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Avalon also expects very strong winds during this storm event, and widespread moderate and possibly major tidal flooding during three high tide cycles, two on Saturday and one on Sunday.

High tide will occur at the Townsend’s Inlet Bridge between Avalon and Sea Isle City on Saturday at 7:17am and again at 7:43pm, and again on Sunday at 8:00am and again at 8:27pm. The forecast predicts moderate coastal flooding throughout flood-prone areas in our community.

Residents who live on a street that typically floods during coastal storms should move their vehicles to higher ground.  Street flooding is expected during both high tides on Saturday, and the morning high tide on Sunday. Never attempt to drive on any street covered by water; this puts you, your vehicle, and emergency responders in harm’s way. Driving on a flooded street also creates an unnecessary wake that could cause property damage to homes and businesses. Water on a street is always deeper than you believe it is.

The High Wind Watch means that Stone Harbor will likely experience steady winds out of the northeast at 35-45mph, with gusts at 60mph or greater. This can result in downed power lines, downed trees, and other hazards in the roadway. Please take this opportunity to bring inside (or secure) objects prone to strong winds including patio furniture and trash cans. Contractors are asked to secure their job sites to prevent debris from being scattered through neighborhoods.

Power out­ages are pos­si­ble dur­ing this storm event due to the strong winds. If you expe­ri­ence a power out­age, do not assume some­one else has called in the out­age. Call the Atlantic City Elec­tric out­age num­ber at 1–800-833-7476. You may also visit Atlantic City Elec­tric web­site to the view the cur­rent out­age map for their ser­vice area. If you have any emer­gency, please dial 911.

Updates are available on this website throughout this storm and on Channel 97 for Comcast customers.

The Wetlands Institute located on Stone Harbor Boulevard has several video cameras where you can watch the effects of the weekend snowstorm live from your computer or phone. The Institute will be closed to the public on both Saturday and Sunday due to the storm event. The link for the webcams is: opens in a new windowWetlands Institute Live Cams

Here is the latest forecast issued by the National Weather Service on Thursday, January 21st, at 5:00pm:
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 23. Northwest wind 10 to 13 mph.
Friday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 35. North wind 8 to 16 mph.
Friday Night: Snow before 1am, then rain and sleet between 1am and 4am, then rain after 4am. Low around 30. Windy, with a northeast wind 17 to 22 mph increasing to 31 to 36 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than one inch possible.
Saturday: Rain. High near 41. Very windy, with a northeast wind 39 to 43 mph, with gusts as high as 60 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
Saturday Night: Snow. Low around 31. Very windy, with a north wind 38 to 43 mph decreasing to 30 to 35 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.
Sunday: A chance of snow, mainly before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 38. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

The Cape May County Office of Emergency Management has provided the Borough of Stone Harbor with the latest weather briefing package via the National Weather Service.  Attached is the package that details coastal flooding and strong winds for our community and coastal areas.  National Weather Service Briefing Thurs January 21st 900am

MAYS LANDING, N.J. — Atlantic City Electric is closely monitoring the weather forecast that calls for snow, rain and strong winds which could potentially affect the company’s service territory Friday evening and through the weekend. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the region.

High winds and heavy, wet snow can weigh down tree limbs and bring them into contact with power lines causing power outages. Wet snow can also adversely affect saturated soil and allow trees already weakened by previous storms to fall onto power lines and equipment, causing power outages. Outages can also occur due to drivers skidding into utility poles along icy and snow-covered roads.

In addition to internal crews available 24 hours a day throughout the weekend, Atlantic City Electric has overhead line contractors and tree crews available to assist in any restoration effort.

Should outages occur, Atlantic City Electric will work around the clock to restore service, however, customers should be prepared for the possibility of service interruptions which could last several days depending on the damage to the electric system. For the safety of the overhead line personnel, if sustained winds reach 35 mph, work that requires raising a bucket/arm boom will be interrupted until it is safe for the crews to continue.

Atlantic City Electric coordinates with state, county and local emergency management officials during severe storm events. Our call Centers are staffed and prepared for this event.

Safety is our No. 1 priority. We urge our customers to stay clear of working crews and any wires hanging loose from poles or lying on the ground. Customers should always assume that downed wires are energized and avoid them. Customers are asked to immediately report a downed wire by calling 1-800-833-7476.

Preparedness tips for Atlantic City Electric customers:

• Assemble an emergency storm kit. Include a battery-powered radio or television, flashlight, a first-aid kit, battery-powered or windup clock, extra batteries, special needs items, an insulated cooler and a list of important and emergency phone numbers.
• Keep at least a three-day supply of nonperishable foods and bottled water and have a hand-operated can opener available.
• Have adequate prescription medicines or infant supplies on hand.
• Make sure you have a telephone with a cord or cell phone to use as a backup. Cordless telephones require electricity to operate and won’t work if there is an outage.
• Identify a safe alternate location in case of an extended outage.
• Tune to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information.
• Follow the advice of local emergency management officials.

General Safety Tips:

• Protect electronic equipment. Unplug sensitive electronics or plug computers and other sensitive equipment into surge suppressors and consider an uninterruptible power supply for temporary battery backup power.
• If a portable generator is needed, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use only when necessary. Never run a generator indoors or inside an attached garage. Be sure to place the generator outside where deadly exhaust fumes will not enter into the home.
• Do not connect a generator directly to the home’s wiring. If a generator is plugged into the electrical circuits of a home, power can back-feed into Atlantic City Electric’s lines, which can injure or kill utility workers fixing downed power lines. It also can cause downed lines to re-energize.
• Turn off power to flood-prone basement appliances if it is safe to do so. However, if using an electrically operated sump pump, the customer should not turn off the power.

We also ask customers to let us know if they lose their power. They can report outages by calling 1-800-833-7476, visiting www.atlanticcityelectric.com or through our mobile app, available for download at www.atlanticcityelectric.com/mobileapp. It’s important that customers report their outages and request a call back to verify their power has been restored.