Delaware’s first fall Nor’Easter

In case you haven’t noticed it has been ridiculously windy today, more so than it has been all week.  We can expect to see more wind throughout the night and a bit of rain.  First Nor’easter for the fall season.  It is a warm front that is about the only good news so the temperatures will warm up for a bit.  Wait, what?  That isn’t good news we want cooler temperatures and fall fish.  You can try the surf in the next few days but the winds are predicted to be gale force until Thursday evening.  The best day for calmer seas will be Sunday according tot he folks at NOAA.   I dropped by Delaware Seashore State Park and checked out Conquest Beach after work this afternoon, and the seas were angry my friends, and that old man is still waiting for his soup!  You can see a video here of the the surf today.  You know it is going to be bad when you can feel the waves hit the sand from the parking lot side of the dunes.  There were two guys out there surf fishing and I was surprised they were holding bottom.  Normally these are ideal striped bass conditions, but the water needs to be a bit cooler.  I am sure there were a few blues and stripers in the waves, but after a long day in a hot house, painting I was about wiped out, yes … I was too tired to fish.  A friend of mine said the Delaware bay today looked like a washing machine full of chocolate milk.  Tonight the tide will be high at Indian River Inlet around 10:30 P.m. and the inland bays could see some minor coastal flooding.  around midnight for most back bay areas like Oak Orchard.  I would expect Prime Hook road to flood (no surprise there) and all of the usual low lying areas.

From the National Weather Service in Mount Holly … Coastal Flood Advisory in effect from September 24, 08:00 PM EDT until September 25, 02:00 AM EDT … High Surf Advisory in effect from September 24, 06:00 PM EDT until September 25, 12:00 PM EDT … Rip Current Statement is in effect until September 25, 12:00 AM EDT … 

The rest of the week into the weekend doesn’t look to good either.  Seas will start to calm down Friday evening, but the water is going to be very stirred up.  It is possible at high tide tomorrow the parks will close access to areas like the point just in case the water hits the dune line for everyone’s safety.  I can’t speak for them (parks enforcement) but that is usually what happens.  No one wants to be stuck out there with water around their vehicle, and no one should have to risk their own safety to come get you.  We all have seen what happens when water surrounds a vehicle.  It will sink to the frame real fast.

This report is from the folks at NOAA from the marine report.  They are usually dead on with predictions.  You will have to excuse the all caps, they post their reports like this.  I guess they want to get your attention.

COASTAL WATERS FROM GREAT EGG INLET TO CAPE MAY NJ OUT 20 NM- 331 PM EDT WED SEP 24 2014
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM EDT THURSDAY
TONIGHT
NE WINDS 20 TO 25 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 KT. SEAS 8 TO 11 FT. MAINLY IN E SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 8 SECONDS. RAIN.
THU
NE WINDS 15 TO 20 KT...DIMINISHING TO 10 TO 15 KT IN THE  LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON.SEAS 6 TO 9 FT... SUBSIDING TO 5 TO  7 FT IN THE AFTERNOON. MAINLY IN SE SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD  OF 9 SECONDS. RAIN UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON. AREAS OF DRIZZLE IN THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS LATE.
THU NIGHT
N WINDS AROUND 15 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 5 TO 8 FT. MAINLY IN E SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS WITH AREAS OF DRIZZLE EARLY IN THE EVENING.  A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

FRI
N WINDS AROUND 15 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT.MAINLY IN E SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 8 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS EARLY IN THE MORNING.
FRI NIGHT
NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KT. SEAS
4 TO 6 FT.
SAT
NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 20 KT. SEAS 3 TO 5 FT.
SAT NIGHT
NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...DIMINISHING TO AROUND 5 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 3 TO 4 FT.
SUN
NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING E IN THE AFTERNOON...THEN BECOMING S IN THE EVENING...BECOMING W AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT.
MON
N WINDS AROUND 5 KT...BECOMING E IN THE EVENING...THEN INCREASING TO 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 3 FT.

Everyone just be safe and smart. Boating will not be a a lot of fun this week, and I doubt I will be taking the kayaks out.  Friends were fishing the Henlopen pier today hammering bluefish on top and bottom rigs with squid, but it was rough there as well.  Look on the bright side, remember that nor’easter we had a couple of years ago that just sat on top of us for like five days and ground us up with rain and wind.  At least this storm will have less rain, but the wind will be the worst, as it always is with a nor’easter.  The Coast Guard will probably be doing rough seas training, but that does not mean they would like to come get you, be safe, be smart.  If you want to see something really cool, go to the Indian River Inlet and see if they (USCG) take the cutters out in this mess, it will show you just how hard core those seas and that inlet can become.  Not to mention how dedicated the USCG is to their jobs.  Good to know they are out there training while we are safe on land.
Fish On!!
Rich King