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%.
