Hurricane Erin’s impacts on coasta New Jersey will be even more serious than originally thought, according to the updated forecast by the National Weather Service.
The Cape May County Office of Emergency Management said the hurricane will pass well to the southeast and east on Thursday, but is expected to expand in size, resulting in greater impacts to the shore.
All beaches in Atlantic County will be closed to swimmers.
Widespread minor to moderate coastal flooding is forecast for the high tides from Thursday evening through Friday evening. Locally, major coastal flood impacts are possible in Cape May County, as well as Kent and Sussex counties in Delaware.
Isolated instances of flash flooding are possible inland Wednesday afternoon and evening, as a separate system starts to interact with moisture from Erin.
Beach towns from Atlantic City to Cape May have already been warning the public of flooding, high winds and treacherous surf conditions.
Tropical storm force winds, including gusts up to 50 miles per hour, and ocean waves 10 to 17 feet high are expected Thursday and Thursday night, creating dangerous conditions for boaters, according to the forecast.
Rough surf and a risk of strong rip currents will create “life-threatening conditions” in the ocean, the Cape May County Office of Emergency Management said.
“We’ve seen rough seas from strong northeast winds all week, and the waves will only get bigger and stronger as the storm approaches and passes by New Jersey on Thursday,” Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian said in a statement.
In another major impact, the forecast says that significant beach erosion is possible, caused by the heavy surf lashing the shoreline.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
