Coastal Flood — Eastern Atlantic, New Jersey

1998-02-04 to 1998-02-09 · Eastern Atlantic, New Jersey

Wider weather episode

The strongest northeaster of the winter battered Coastal New Jersey, especially from Ocean County southward, with damaging winds, moderate to severe coastal flooding, extensive beach erosion, several dune breaches and heavy rain. A state of emergency was declared for all the coastal counties and both Atlantic and Cape May Counties were declared federal disaster areas. Damage statewide was estimated at about 17 million dollars and was the worst storm to affect the area since December 1992. While beach erosion was the largest problem in Monmouth and Ocean Counties, damage from the wind and heavy rain became more extensive farther south in Atlantic and Cape May Counties. About 100 persons were evacuated in Ocean, Atlantic and Cape May Counties. No serious injuries were reported. Schools were closed in most coastal communities on both the 4th and 5th. Service was suspended on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry for two days. The strongest wind gusts reached 74 mph in Seaside Park and 73 mph in West Wildwood. About 13,000 homes and businesses lost power, mostly on the 4th. There were still 1,700 without power the morning of the 5th in Atlantic and Cape May Counties. Numerous access roads to the barrier islands were closed due to tidal flooding on the 5th and the morning of the 6th. The heaviest rain occurred along the immediate shore and exceeded two inches. Tidal departures averaged around 4 feet above normal. Fortunately this storm did not coincide with the spring tide cycle. Nevertheless, the highest tide during the early morning on the 5th reached 9.5 feet above mean low water in North Wildwood, the second highest on record only surpassed by the September 1944 hurricane. For most other locations, this was the highest tide since the December 1992 northeaster. Cape May County suffered an estimated 3.63 million dollars in damage. The National Guard deployed 270 troops to help with evacuations. In Ocean City, 14 people were evacuated, mainly from the Pecks Beach Village. In Strathmere, the pounding surf rendered five homes "unsafe". In Sea Isle City, the north end dunes were breached. There were no dunes at all left between First and Twelfth Streets. All but one cross town road was impassable. County Route 619 was clogged with sand and water and the pavement was broken near Whale Beach. The strong winds also uprooted numerous red cedar trees. In Avalon, the beach erosion left 10 foot cliffs. The reopening of the Townsends Inlet Beach damaged during the previous northeaster was postponed until this northeaster passed. In North Wildwood, 300 homes and businesses were damaged by the wind and tidal flooding. The Hereford Inlet Bulkhead was destroyed. In West Wildwood, chest high water around Maple Avenue forced the evacuation of about thirty persons. Countless road and commercial signs were blown down by the wind. Three bulkheads were also destroyed with pilings strewn across the streets and sidewalks. Seaweed was left on fences by the receding tides and boats were tossed into neighbor's yards. In Cape May City, back bay flooding was reported. At Cape May Point, severe beach erosion was reported. There was flooding in the eastern parts of town and this was exacerbated by the heavy rain that caused the overflow of Lily Lake and the Lighthouse Pond. In West Cape May, the Cape Island Creek overflowed and numerous trees and power lines were knocked down. Atlantic County suffered an estimated 3.9 million dollars in damage. Twenty-two persons from Brigantine and Atlantic City were sheltered. Throughout the county one home and one business suffered major damage, 93 other dwellings and businesses suffered minor damage while tidal flooding affected but caused little damage to 219 others. Brigantine suffered substantial flooding and beach erosion, especially at the north end of the island. About 75 percent of its sand was carried away. Within Atlantic City, the 84 residents of the Oceanside Nursing Home were removed to 14 other nursing homes on the mainland. The boardwalk was ripped at New Hampshire Avenue. All access roads into the city were closed on the morning of the 5th, except for the Atlantic City Expressway. The worst tidal flooding occurred in the back bay with much of Venice Park, the Chelsea Bay Front and Chelsea Heights inundated. Dozens of parked cars had water up to their doors. The beach was described as "destroyed" in Margate. In Longport, the ocean met the bay from 11th through 24th Streets. The erosion caused vertical cliffs of 4 to 5 feet and streets had to be cleared of debris. The mainland was not spared in the county as the heavy rain caused basement flooding in the Donald J. Adams School in Northfield and trees were uprooted in Linwood.In Ocean County, damage was estimated at 9 million dollars, mostly due to beach erosion. Thirty five persons were evacuated, most from the Tuckerton Beach section of Tuckerton. Long Beach Island was harder hit than the northern barrier islands. Nevertheless, the beaches from Point Pleasant to Island Beach State Park suffered moderate to severe erosion. In Bay Head, the remnants of its old boardwalk were uncovered. The borough lost 10 feet of dunes and 125 feet of beach at its south end. Ortley Beach's dune line was flattened. The pounding surf washed away marker number 6 on the rocks of the north monument at Barnegat Light. Bay flooding forced the closure of several roads in Barnegat Township. In Harvey Cedars, the erosion was worse at the south end of the municipality where the surf exposed the gravel base. The handicap ramp at 80th Street ended with a six foot vertical drop. There were even larger cliffs at Ship bottom, which reached around 10 feet at 14th Street. In addition, the wind damaged the windows and shingles. In Stafford Township, both Mallard and Cedar Bonnet Islands were badly flooded. Long Beach Boulevard was closed in Long Beach Township from Ship Bottom to 95th Street. Brant Beach suffered the worst erosion in the county as the ocean broke through in two places. The handicap ramp was washed away. One house was evacuated because of a downed pole. The erosion also exposed the home's gas and water lines. Farther south in Beach Haven, a breach occurred at Dolphin Avenue. An emergency call for 19 loads of dirt filled the breach and saved a home. Most of the dune fencing was lost and thirty homes along the oceanfront were left vulnerable to the next storm. In the bay, 12 families were evacuated from the Tuckerton Beach Section around Green Street during the early morning of the 5th. Their homes looked like islands. In Little Egg Township, on Mystic Islands, Twin Lakes Boulevard and several side streets were flooded and impassable. The winds caused the most problems on mainland Ocean County as downed trees were reported in Brick, Jackson and Ocean Counties. In Monmouth County, damage was estimated at $500,000 dollars as the county was spared by the eastward movement of the northeaster off of Cape Hatteras. The continuous onshore flow caused moderate to severe beach erosion. Two to four feet of beach were lost in most areas. At Sandy Hook about 80 percent of the new sand placed in a replenishment project was lost as several hundred feet of beach disappeared. Both Bradley Beach and Ocean Grove were hard hit by erosion. The waves washed sand onto Ocean Avenue in Bradley Beach. New Jersey State Route 36 was flooded in Sea Bright. In Raritan Bay, tidal flooding caused road closures in Middletown Township. The strong winds caused power to be lost by 3,000 homes and businesses along the northern New Jersey Coast.The early morning high tide on the 5th contained the highest tides. These included (all above mean low water): 10.0 feet at West Wildwood, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, 9.8 feet in Ocean City, 9.7 feet in Avalon, 9.6 feet in Sea Isle City, 9.5 feet in North Wildwood, 9.0 feet in Absecon, 8.5 feet in Longport, 8.4 feet at the Cape May Ferry Terminal (3.5 feet above normal), 8.0 feet in Ventnor, 7.9 feet at Sandy Hook (3.2 feet above normal) and 7.8 feet in Atlantic City (3.9 feet above normal). Strongest wind gusts included 74 mph in Seaside Park, 73 mph in West Wildwood, 68 mph in Brighton Beach, 65 mph in Harvey Cedars, 59 mph at nine miles southwest of Millville, 58 mph at the Marina within Atlantic City, 55 mph in Estell Manor, 52 mph at the Atlantic City International Airport and Ocean Grove and 50 mph in Toms River. Storm rainfall totals included 2.44 inches at the Marina within Atlantic City, 2.28 inches in Cape May City, 2.06 inches in Matawan and 1.88 inches in Harvey Cedars.The storm system developed in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico during the night of February 1st and moved northeast. At 7 a.m. EST on the 3rd it was centered near Appalachicola, Florida and at 7 a.m. EST on the 4th it was located near Charlestown, South Carolina. From there it continued to move northeast and intensify and was just east of Cape Hatteras at 7 p.m. EST on the 4th. The strongest winds and the heaviest rain occurred from the afternoon on the 4th through the early morning hours on the 5th. The northeaster took a more easterly track overnight on the 4th and by 7 a.m. EST on the 5th was located about 175 miles southeast of Atlantic City. This spared the north end of New Jersey from further damage. The storm then accelerated and was well east of the Delmarva Peninsula the morning of the 6th. A second storm developed in the Gulf of Mexico the morning of the 6th. This storm moved east and not northeast off the South Carolina coast on the 7th and 8th. This spared the region further damage, but the northeast flow around this second storm kept an onshore flow. While moderate or greater tidal flooding ended with the morning high tide on the 6th, minor tidal flooding continued through the morning high tide on the 9th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5632141. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.