Ocean City residents, visitors feel impacts of Tropical Storm Ophelia
BALTIMORE -- Winds were whipping and rip currents were on full display in Ocean City as Tropical Storm Ophelia prepared to soak the popular vacation town.
Diane Oestreich said the weather was interfering with her vacation.
"It's paid for, it's bought, and I was watching the weather—and every obstacle possible tried to stop us including the weather," she said.
WHIPPING WINDS & FLOODING: Here in the parking lot of the Oceanic Motel, guests describe winds getting so strong they thought their windows were going bust. That created coastal flooding as seen here in the parking lot. The hotel has put a suction pump to keep the levels low.… pic.twitter.com/0cNUhbTR9W
— Stephon Dingle WJZ (@Stephon_Dingle) September 23, 2023
Terry Klinger was also in Ocean City trying to make the most of his vacation gone wrong.
"Just hope it don't flood. That's all," he said. "Other than that, I've never been in a tropical storm."
WJZ's First Alert Weather team is predicting that the storm will bring high winds of up to 50 miles per hour and heavy bands of rain to Maryland. The team projects that there will be coastal flooding.
The outer bands from Tropical Storm Ophelia are covering Maryland. Ocean City has already seen 1" of rain since midnight. Rain will pick up in intensity and coverage for the Baltimore Area as the day goes on. #WJZ #FirstAlert #Baltimore #Maryland pic.twitter.com/SvdaLMZhv3
— Meg McNamara (@MegWJZ) September 23, 2023
"It's not really new to us here in Ocean City," business owner Jeb Vetotk said. "We're used to these tropical storms, hurricanes. We do a lot of preparation at our restaurants and hotels and restaurants to get ready for this."
On Friday night, patrons visiting Ocean City for the weekend filled the Wedge Bar as they awaited Tropical Storm Ophelia's arrival.
One woman says she would be heeding the warnings, though, and plans to return home to West Virginia a day earlier than expected.
"If it's going to be crappy all day, then I just want to go ahead and go home," Teresa Mcmahon said.
Flooding, flooding and more flood on the streets of Ocean City as Tropical storm Ophelia continues to pound Southern MD and the Eastern Shore. @wjz pic.twitter.com/Mba1qKhQsU
— Stephon Dingle WJZ (@Stephon_Dingle) September 23, 2023
Some people walked the boardwalk and captured the beginning of the conditions of the storm. WJZ encountered visitors who said they intended to stay but had an evacuation plan in case there was chaos at the ocean waterfront.
"If it does get bad, we're going to head out over the Route 50 bridge, go inland and go out 113," Klinger said.