Nor’easter Sunday Funday Night Update

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people in South Carolina, they are getting flooded on a biblical scale.  It is scary to see the pictures online.

Sunday Funday cabin fever kicked in today for a lot of people, many folks were out and about, checking the storm.  I finally left the computer alone this afternoon and hit the streets.  Broadkill Beach took a pounding and it looks like they are missing a little beach, but the big dune is still in place.  Walking onto any beach was a chore, sand blasting was outrageous.  I’m missing about three layers of skin.  I think Bethany Beach got hit the worst, they are missing a lot of the ocean side dunes and there is a twelve foot cliff there instead.  All of the beaches are missing a lot of sand.  Rehoboth beach is missing a lot of sand, but it never reached the boardwalk.  The old poles that were there to mark  the location of a shipwreck (the Thomas Tracey) are exposed.   I walked out onto the beaches at Cape Henlopen today and even tossed a line in at Navy Crossing.  The water is moving incredibly fast, no wonder it is eating the beaches.  It was hard to keep balance in knee deep water and at one point in seconds I was waist deep.  I tossed a line about a dozen times and left.  I didn’t have the waders for the water, and the currents were strong.  I really needed a full wet suit, a rope and an anchor.  I watched a few guys show up with surf boards at Herring point beach and then looked at the waves, and said “Nope” and left.  I ran into a lot of people that thanked me for all the coverage of the storm and I appreciate the kind words.  I hope it helped a few people keep them up to date.

I hate to say it but I think we have a couple more days of heavy waves, wind, and water.  There is a coastal flood advisory until tomorrow.  The roads are all still flooding at high tide.  The waves were to the dunes half way into the incoming tide today, and the beaches are all but flat for the most part.  They will recover eventually, but how long until we can drive on the park beaches is a good question.  I am going to say Wednesday at the latest, and that is a guess and in no way an official statement from the parks. There is a lot that needs to be cleaned up, drive on accesses are filled in with sand, water and debris, and the beaches are covered with all kinds of interesting things.  I see a beach combing shopping spree in my future.  I call dibs on the green cooler in the wash at Cape Henlopen today.

Below are tides for Indian River Inlet and buoy 44009 data and more pictures

Fish On!!

Rich King

Tides IRI … 

Buoy 44009 Data