Remnants of Hurricane Ian flooding parts of Ocean City, increasing travel time
OCEAN CITY, N.J. (CBS) – Remnants of Hurricane Ian are drenching the Delaware Valley and the Jersey Shore. The shore is under a coastal flood warning until Tuesday night.
Boat docks in the bay of Ocean City were almost completely underwater and flooding conditions closed some roads.
Driving down to the shore may take more time as intense rainfall reduces visibility and strong winds impact driving.
The national weather service has issued a coastal flood warning, a wind advisory and a high surf advisory, all in effect on Monday morning.
To prepare, officials have already put up barricades in areas where it usually floods.
The forecast calls for sustained northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.
People should also be prepared for continued rain to cause widespread flooding over the next few days.
Officials say these predictions reflect an increase to what was previously forecast.
CBS3 spoke with some people who were in Ocean City over the weekend and say they're already starting to see a difference.
"Coming here, especially on the back roads, the bay is pretty flooded. I mean, you know, not on the roads, but there's a lot of water in the marches and, you know, coming over the bridge, you know, there is some streets backed up. And then, high tide was, like, 12:30," Mike Bersuch, an Ocean City visitor, said. "Not terrible. I mean, Ocean City is used to that kind of flooding, but it's more than usual."
Officials are asking residents to be prepared, limit travel if possible and move vehicles to safe places in advance of these high tides.
Get the latest weather updates here.