Winds of 55mph, Coastal Flooding Expected in Overnight Storm; Watches, Warnings Issued for Shore

Flooding following the Jan. 10-11, 2024 coastal storm. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The Shore area will take its third hit from a coastal storm in the matter of a week Friday night into Saturday, prompting warnings from the National Weather Service and serious concerns over tidal flooding after days of onshore winds have allowed water to accumulate in the back bays.

Friday night will bring the chance of rain and thunderstorms producing up to one inch of rain, the National Weather Service said, with a southeast wind 15 to 25 m.p.h. increasing to 35 to 45 m.p.h. Winds could gust as high as 55 m.p.h.

The storm will move quickly and is expected to exit the region by midday Saturday, but not before bringing more tidal flooding to the region. A coastal flood warning, as well as a high wind warning, were in effect until 7 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively, on Saturday.

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“Strong southerly winds are forecast to increase tonight, which is forecast to lead to another round of moderate to isolated major coastal flooding impacts along Barnegat Bay late tonight into Saturday,” the NWS said. “The highest impacts will be felt along the northern locations of Barnegat Bay, especially near Mantoloking. Moderate flooding may not be experienced by the Altantic coastal communities, however minor flooding is still forecast for those areas.”

🌧️⚠️Here are the key points for the storm tonight. The final full briefing package has been posted and can be found here: (https://t.co/JiD09ByGTv.)

Stay safe! #NJwx #PAwx #DEwx #MDwx pic.twitter.com/U3iIxw4jKX

— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) January 12, 2024

In this type of storm, “widespread roadway flooding occurs in coastal and bayside communities and along inland tidal waterways. Many roads become impassable. Some damage to vulnerable structures may begin to occur,” the NWS statement said.

The storm clouds will gradually clear during the day Saturday, according to the forecast. Saturday night will be mostly clear, though there could be some brief showers Sunday morning as part of an unrelated system before sun moves in for the majority of the day.

Forecasters are also tracking a separate system that could bring either rain, snow, or both, to the area between Monday and Wednesday.