The Jersey Shore and the Delaware Bay coastline are under Coastal Flood Advisories this Monday, with NWS meteorologists warning that tonight’s evening high tide will push water into low-lying roads and back-bay neighborhoods along one of the most popular summer beach corridors on the East Coast.
The Advisory and Who It Covers
The National Weather Service in Mount Holly, New Jersey issued Coastal Flood Advisories for a string of counties in New Jersey and Delaware in effect through 2 AM EDT Tuesday.
In New Jersey: Ocean County (including Mantoloking and Barnegat Bay), Middlesex, Western and Eastern Monmouth (including Sandy Hook and Manasquan), Cumberland, Atlantic, Cape May, Coastal Cape May and Southeastern Burlington counties.
In Delaware: Kent County (including Bowers Beach on the Murderkill River and Delaware Bay), Inland Sussex, and Delaware Beaches, including Lewes and the surrounding bay shoreline.
Up to one foot of inundation above ground level is expected in the most vulnerable low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways — enough to flood coastal roads and cause partial or full closures at the worst-affected spots. In Middlesex, Monmouth and parts of Ocean County, the inundation is expected to be somewhat lower, around half a foot.
Already Flooding This Morning
The flooding began before the advisory even peaked. “Minor flooding this morning is confined to back bay areas around Mantoloking,” the NWS Mount Holly office noted in the Ocean County bulletin, adding that “more widespread minor flooding will occur with the Monday evening high tide cycle” — the more significant event expected around 8 to 9 PM EDT tonight.
Back bays typically crest two to three hours after the ocean, meaning the highest flood impacts will work their way inland through the evening.
Three Days of Elevated Tide Cycles
The tide data embedded in the bulletins reveals this is not a one-night event. Tide gauges at Atlantic City, Cape May, Sandy Hook, Lewes and Barnegat Light all show Minor flood impacts forecast at multiple high tide cycles through Wednesday and Thursday — with departures from normal running 0.4 to 1.3 feet above average.
At Lewes on the Delaware Bay, the tide is running nearly a foot above normal through the week, with three successive high tides forecast at the Minor flood level. At Atlantic City, the trend shows tide departures gradually increasing through the week, peaking Thursday morning. At Cape May Harbor, all three monitored evening tides through Thursday are forecast at the Minor flood level.
What Shore Visitors and Residents Should Do
This is peak early summer season on the Jersey Shore. Summer rental turnovers, weekend beach arrivals and Father’s Day preparation trips are all converging with an elevated tide pattern.
The NWS advice is direct: do not park vehicles in low-lying areas near tidal waterways, move them to higher ground before 8 PM, and do not drive through flooded roads — the water is often deeper than it appears and vehicles can be quickly damaged or swept. Allow extra travel time around the Shore this evening, as some roads near back bays and tidal inlets may close.
For real-time tide levels and local flood impact information, visit the NOAA National Water Prediction Service and monitor alerts from weather.gov/phi.
