Nor'easter Expected to Deliver Another Punch to Shore

Forecasters expect another coastal storm to drench Ocean City on Wednesday and Thursday — a little more than a week after a massive storm caused record flooding on the island and led to a mandatory three-day evacuation.

"Unfortunately, a strong coastal storm appears likely for the latter half of the coming week," National Weather Service forecasters wrote in a Sunday evening update. "While there is still some uncertainty regarding the precise track and timing, substantial impacts are expected from this storm, many of which will be greater due to the damage caused by Sandy."

NBC40 meteorologist Dan Skeldon suggested in a Sunday report that the storm would likely pass closest between noon Wednesday and noon Thursday, dumping 1 to 2 inches of rain driven by steady northeast winds (with gusts of 40 to 50 mph along the shore).

Unlike the remnants of Hurricane Sandy — which hit Ocean City on a full-moon tide — the mid-week tides are not expected to be astronomically high. But with strong northeast winds and heavy rains, moderate flooding is likely.

With dune systems flattened at the north and south ends of Ocean City, the chance of ocean water reaching streets and homes for the second time in two weeks increases.

Public workers have been piling sand to create temporary berms to hold back the ocean. At Waverly Beach, a line of now-exposed geotubes held through last week's storm and provide some protection.

"I'll stress again ... this will NOT be a Sandy," Skeldon wrote in a Facebook update. "But this nor'easter will have greater impacts than usual because of Sandy."