Big wind, big waves at OC
Winds up to 40 mph and waves as big as 14 feet will pummel Maryland and Delaware beaches this afternoon, tonight and tomorrow, the weather service says. The winds are being drive onshore by Hurricane Noel, far at sea, and high pressure over New England. Check out this satellite loop. Wow!
The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory and coastal flood watch for the coast. Visitors and property owners shouold expected east and northeast winds of 30 to 40 p.m., with gusts as high as 55 mph, the advisories say. The 10- to 14-foot waves will cause rip currents to form, and some beach erosion is expected.
Here's the webcam view from the Kite Loft. Here's how folks are faring on the boardwalk. Here's the scene at Virginia Beach, Va. And here is a link to realtime data from the NOAA bouy off the Maryland/Delaware coast.
UPDATE: Just before 5 p.m. Friday, I notice that the atmospheric pressure out at that bouy has begun to fall (as it has here in Baltimore), indicating the storm's approach. Wave heights are also building. Nice to be on land.
