The discussion from the National Weather Service is forecasting the potential for record coastal flooding in Monmouth and Middlesex Counties of New Jersey as Sandy makes landfall from Belmar to Atlantic City. The Coastal Hazard Message from the Mount Holly NWS is below.
COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ
748 AM EDT SAT OCT 27 2012
...THE EVOLUTION OF TROPICAL CYCLONE SANDY INTO A POWERFUL STORM
CROSSING THE NEW JERSEY COAST MONDAY EVENING WILL MEAN AT LEAST
TWO TIDE CYCLES OF POTENTIALLY MODERATE TO MAJOR FLOODING...
.A COASTAL FLOOD OF RECORD IS POSSIBLE IN THE NORTHERN NEW JERSEY
WATERS IF THE TIMING OF SANDY COINCIDES WITH THE MONDAY EVENING
HIGH TIDE CYCLE AND THE CYCLONE PASSES ACROSS THE NEW JERSEY COAST
BETWEEN ATLANTIC CITY AND BELMAR.
MIDDLESEX-WESTERN MONMOUTH-EASTERN MONMOUTH-OCEAN-CUMBERLAND-
ATLANTIC-CAPE MAY-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY-COASTAL ATLANTIC-
COASTAL OCEAN-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON-
748 AM EDT SAT OCT 27 2012
...COASTAL FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING
THROUGH MONDAY EVENING...
* LOCATION...THE ATLANTIC COAST OF NEW JERSEY.
* COASTAL FLOODING...MODERATE TO MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING IS
ANTICIPATED FOR BOTH HIGH TIDE CYCLES ON MONDAY...PRECEDED BY
COMPARATIVELY MINOR FLOOD EPISODES SUNDAY MORNING AND SUNDAY
EVENING. THIS WILL BE LONG DURATION TIDAL FLOODING AND PROBABLE
ROAD CLOSURES AND POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGE WHERE WATER ENCROACHES ON
PARKING LOTS AND BUILDINGS.
* AT...SANDY HOOK THE PRIMARY TIMES OF HIGH TIDE ARE 801 AM
MONDAY AND 822 PM MONDAY EVENING. AT ATLANTIC CITY THE TIME OF
HIGH TIDE ARE 741 AM AND 8 PM MONDAY EVENING. AT CAPE MAY THE
APPROXIMATE TIMES OF HIGH TIDE ARE 849 AM MONDAY AND 909 PM
MONDAY EVENING.
* SEAS...WILL BE 15 TO POSSIBLY 20 FEET. THIS ADDED OVER-WASH
WILL THREATEN CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO BEACHFRONT PROPERTIES.
* RAINFALL...4 TO POSSIBLY 8 INCHES OF RAINFALL BY MONDAY EVENING
WILL ADD TO THE TIDAL FLOODING AS RIVERS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO
DISCHARGE EXCESS RUNOFF INTO THE 3 TO 5 FOOT TIDAL SURGE AIDED
BY AN INCOMING WIND GUSTING TO 60 MPH ALONG THE COAST. THIS
INCREASES THE ODDS OF MAJOR FLOODING! SOME OF THE FORECAST
INFORMATION INDICATES SANDY HOOK MAY SEE A COASTAL FLOOD OF
RECORD MONDAY EVENING IF THE STORM CROSSES THE COAST SOUTH OF
SANDY HOOK NEAR THE TIME OF THE MONDAY EVENING HIGH TIDE.
* DURATION...MODERATE OR GREATER TIDAL FLO0DING MAY LAST 3 TO 5
HOURS DURING THE HIGH TIDE CYCLE!
* PRECURSOR FLOOD EPISODE...MINOR COASTAL FLOODING IS LIKELY
DURING THE SUNDAY HIGH TIDES CYCLES BUT THAT WILL BE DWARFED BY
WHAT FOLLOWS MONDAY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF MODERATE OR MAJOR COASTAL FLOODING. PAY CLOSE
ATTENTION TO UPDATED FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS AND TAKE APPROPRIATE
ACTION TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF
LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS.
FOR A LIST OF THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT TIDE HEIGHTS IN YOUR COUNTY
PLEASE GO TO WWW.WEATHER.GOV/PHI/TIDES.HTM (ALL IN LOWER CASE).
George Wright is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist for Wright Weather Consulting, LLC. George is also a meteorologist with ABC News and Cablevision News 12. Our website is WrightWeather.com.
