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Wind, Flood Warnings Issued for Coastal NJ: 55 mph Wind Gusts, ‘Widespread’ Coastal Flooding

by
Daniel Nee
May 6, 2022

A red flag flies over cloudy skies at Brick Beach III, May 6, 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

The National Weather Service issued warnings for the coastal portions of New Jersey Friday afternoon, covering all of Saturday into Sunday morning, predicting stronger winds and more significant coastal flooding than initially forecast.

The coastal flood warning runs from 11 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday. A wind advisory runs from 8 a.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday.

Coastal Flood Warning: One to two feet of inundation above ground level is expected in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways, the NWS warning said.

“At this level, widespread roadway flooding occurs in coastal and bayside communities and along inland tidal waterways,” the warning notice said. “Many roads become impassable. Some damage to vulnerable structures may begin to occur.”

Strong northeast winds will develop Saturday and continue through the beginning of next week, the warning continued. A prolonged period of elevated tides with multiple rounds of coastal flooding is likely starting Saturday evening and persisting through Monday.

Wind Advisory: Northeast winds 30 to 40 m.p.h. with gusts up to 55 mph expected, the advisory said.

“Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects,” it continued. “Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.”

Good evening! Here is the latest briefing on the coastal storm expected to impact the area through the weekend: https://t.co/JiD09BPJVv #NJWX #PAWX #MDWX #DEWX pic.twitter.com/qxtSzhRMlC

— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) May 6, 2022

Our storm by this Sunday will be meandering off the coast to the north of the Bahamas. Some outlets suggest this feature could become tropical; however latest guidance suggests this feature is mostly cold-core or extratropical. pic.twitter.com/ViboCCYu5j

— NY NJ PA Weather (@nynjpaweather) May 6, 2022

The NWS forecast calls for 1-2 inches of rain to fall overnight between Friday and Saturday, with another inch possible during the day Saturday. Winds gusting up to 55 m.p.h. will occur most of the day Saturday into Sunday morning, but will calm during the day despite lingering showers, forecasters said.