Busy 2013 Hurricane Season Forecast

Legendary forecaster in Wednesday prediction: above-average 2013 Atlantic basin hurricane season due to 'anomalous' ocean warming

As the Jersey Shore continues its recovery from Superstorm Sandy, a Colorado State University professor, who is widely considered a national authority on tropical weather prediction, has released his team's first forecast for the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season — and the news isn't good for coastal residents. This year's hurricane season, which begins June 1, will be above average, the team led by Dr. William Gray predicted in a forecast issued Wednesday. The forecast team calls for 18 named storms during the hurricane season, nine of which are expected to become hurricanes and four of those major hurricanes, meaning they will reach category three status or higher. Storms receive a name when they reach tropical storm status, meaning they …

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Hurricane Sandy

JCP&L to Continue Working on Outages "As Safety Permits"

Still 74,012 in the dark in Ocean and Monmouth counties

There are currently 28,176 JCP&L customers without power in Ocean County and 45,836 without power in Monmouth County, according to an update on the JCP&L website. Those numbers change constantly as crews continue to work on outages throughout the region. However, the nor'easter starting to move into the area may cause new outages as well as coastal flooding, according to the National Weather Service. JCP&L, in a prepared statement, says: "Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) has restored power to more than 900,000 of the 1.2 million JCP&L customers affected by Hurricane Sandy, marking five consecutive days where crews have restored at least 100,000 customers per day. While restoration continues, JCP&L is preparing for a Nor'easter that is …

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PHOTOS: Long Branch Boardwalk Devastated

Boardwalk, promenade, Pier Village closed to public

  The Long Branch oceanfront has been devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Huge sections of the boardwalk have been washed away by the storm and it has been fenced off by the city. Pier Village and the promenade section of the boardwalk were not as badly damaged as the wooden boardwalk, but they have also been closed off by emergency personnel. Ocean Avenue between Seaview Avenue and Madison Avenue is covered in sand, but crews are now working to remove it. Several traffic lights are out on Ocean Boulevard and all entry to Monmouth Beach is prohibited at this time. The above pictures of the boardwalk area were taken Sunday afternoon.

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Hurricane Sandy

UPDATE: Nearly 247,000 Without Power in Ocean and Monmouth

Outages to increase as Sandy barrels towards the Shore

Update, 6 p.m.: Outages have reached 126,739 in Ocean County and 120,000 in Monmouth County. --- There are nearly 24,000 reported power outages in Monmouth and Ocean counties as of early Monday afternoon, according to a Jersey Central Power & Light map. As of early Monday afternoon, there were 23,559 outages reported in Monmouth and Ocean. However, there was no way to immediately learn if some without power have not reported it yet because they may have no means of communication without electricity. But according to the information available, the highest number of outages in one town in the two counties was Middletown, with 6,869. Another town with a high number of reported outages was Berkeley in southern Ocean County with 1,848. …

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Hurricane Sandy

The Surf Before the Storm

Surfers and fishermen head toward shore

Surfers and fishermen outnumbered beach walkers on many beaches Saturday evening as Hurricane Sandy approached offshore. These surfers and fishermen were at the beach in Bay Head, which is under mandatory state orders to evacuate by 4 p.m. Sunday.

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Hurricane Sandy

HURRICANE SANDY: JCP&L Says it Learned From Its Mistakes

Stresses storm may knock out power for 7-10 days

  Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) President Don Lynch says the company has learned from the mistakes it made from Hurricane Irene and is ready for Hurricane Sandy and the threat it poses to the state. The company took heat when Hurricane Irene left many New Jersey towns without power for days - and, in some cases, weeks. Many thought JCP&L's response was too slow. The biggest lesson learned is getting the information out to customers and municipalities as specifically, quickly and often as possible, Lynch said. The company wants its customers to know as much information as possible, he said. "Just know that Jersey Central will be working hard day and night - we've already started, should that storm hit shore here and cause outages …

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Tropical Storm Sandy Could Evolve Into Hurricane

Powerful autumn storm headed up east NJ coast

The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the National Weather Service are closely monitoring Tropical Storm Sandy to see what impact it might have on Monmouth County as it moves up the coast.  "There is a potential for a very powerful and dangerous autumn storm to affect our region early next week," the OEM reports on its Facebook page.  "There is a growing threat of strong winds, very heavy rainfall, coastal flooding and inland flooding ..." The National Weather Service says the impact the storm has on the area depends on how the storm tracks over the next five days or so. While it is currently listed as a Tropical Storm as of Tuesday, the National Weather Service expects it to be upgraded to a hurricane on Wednesday and …

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Stormy Skies, Seas at Sea Bright Beach

The beach, now unguarded, still attracted swimmers, surfers. Check out the tide tables and weather forecast for the weekend.

While Hurricane Leslie is not expected to touch down in the Sea Bright area, signs of her distant presence were evident on the beach Thursday afternoon. Across the ocean, a band of haze wrapped itself on the horizon with the NY skyline still in view. The tide was high, with some evident erosion along the shore, but the waves were low. A sign posted at the entrance of the public beach warned beachgoers that the ocean is now unguarded. Yet, several people waded and a few surfed as seagulls scavenged crabs and remnants of fish that had washed in with the tide. Below is a tide tables for Sea Bright from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Web site: 0.95 L For the Sea Bright shores, the National Weather Service predicts…

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Hurricane Irene

Stores and Theaters Shut Down in Eatontown in Anticipation of Hurricane Irene

The Monmouth Mall will close at 4 p.m. on Saturday and the AMC Lowes Theaters is closed all weekend.

Forget about The Help and don’t even think about getting a burrito at Chipotle this weekend in Eatontown. The parking lot at for the movie theater at the Monmouth Mall was eerily quiet for a Saturday afternoon as stores and eateries began to shut down in anticipation of Hurricane Irene. Signs posted on the door of the AMC Lowes Theaters in informed would-be movie goers that the multiplex would be closed on Saturday and Sunday due to the storm. The entire mall will close at 4 p.m. on Saturday, according to customer service representatives at the mall, but a number of retailers and food spots had already closed, including Macy’s and Burger King. No details were available yet whether the mall would open on Sunday, but the representative said …

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Greg Kulaga

5:33 pm on Saturday, August 27, 2011

While stocking up on wings to hunker down on, the guys at Cluck U on 36 told me they plan on staying open and delivering until 10 or 11 p.m. tonight.   more ›