Community Corner

Wind Fades But Waves Remain in Ocean City

The distant Hurricane Leslie will not come close to New Jersey but continues to generate rough surf.

With local winds very light on Thursday in Ocean City, the ocean appears significantly calmer than it did on Wednesday, but a distant hurricane continues to send big waves and create dangerous swimming conditions.

Hurricane Leslie was 430 miles south of Bermuda at 11 a.m. Thursday (Sept. 6), but her 75 mph winds (with gusts up to 90 mph) are generating swells that are reaching the entire East Coast.

The National Weather Service continues its severe rip current advisory on Thursday, and Ocean City Beach Patrol lifeguards at the  are limiting bathers to only shallow water.

Find out what's happening in Ocean Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

National Hurricane Center forecasters say Leslie is "crawling" northward, and the waves are not expected to peak on the New Jersey coast until Saturday or Sunday. The storm is predicted to remain over the open water of the Atlantic Ocean and cross Ocean City's latitude sometime early on Monday.

The ocean water temperature of 77.2 degrees on Thursday was inviting, but conditions are expected to grow more dangerous for swimmers in the next few days.

Find out what's happening in Ocean Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Surfing conditions on Thursday are significantly better than they were on Wednesday — with surfers taking advantage of the long-period swell, light winds and glassy head-high waves.

The current hurricane tracks suggests Leslie will pass very close to Bermuda on Saturday night as a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 90 to 100 mph.

There's a chance the storm could affect Canada and Newfoundland early next week as a weakening hurricane.

Another tropical storm first named on Wednesday —Michael — is now a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 115 mph and gusts up to 140 mph.

Michael is even more distant than Leslie and is not expected to affect any land mass in the next five days as remains in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

On land, the sun is expected to return on Thursday and Friday with highs both days in the mid-80s.


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