Cape May County’s Office of Emergency Management is warning about the following impacts to the shore from Hurricane Lee later this week.
- Dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents are already affecting our region. These will only become more severe through the remainder of the week as the storm moves northward in the western Atlantic. They should start to subside by Sunday.
- The ocean waters will become increasingly hazardous for small craft starting Wednesday as seas build, with waves possibly exceeding 10 feet by Thursday or Friday.
- Minor coastal flooding and beach erosion will become a concern as the system makes its closest approach late Friday into Saturday.
- Winds over the ocean and adjacent near-shore regions may approach gale force (gusts to near 40 mph) late Friday into Saturday. Gale warnings may be required for the ocean waters.
The track of Lee will influence any further impacts across our region, which could include stronger winds and rain if the track shifts farther west. At this time, the odds of tropical storm conditions anywhere in our region remain less than 5 percent, but as the storm is still a couple days away, everyone should closely monitor the progress of the storm.
For the latest information on the track forecast, visit www.nhc.noaa.gov. For the latest rainfall amount forecast, go to https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/#page=qpf. For the latest local forecast visit www.weather.gov/phi.
