With weather being our number one threat it is important that we use the many resources that are at our fingertips on the Internet. If you can access this page then you have the ability to access the various other weather resources. Starting with the local forecast the first place to check the weather is the local National Weather Service office which is the Philadelphia / Mount Holly Office. Their website can be accessed by clicking on the fourth link on the left hand side of this page (https://ready.northwildwood.com). They use data obtain from a fixed weather station at the Cape May County Airport and then adjust it for each town. The North Wildwood weather page will show you the seven day extended forecast and the Dover Air Force Base enhanced weather radar. There are two important areas on the page that need to be checked – first the section labeled in Red – Hazardous Weather Conditions – here you will find the Hazardous Weather Outlook which is updated regularly for the next seven days. Click on it to find out what is predicted. You will also find the actual severe weather warnings which you can click on to get details on the specific storm. The other important area is the section marked – Additional Forecasts and Information – here you will find the Forecast Discussion which is an explanation of rationale behind the weather forecast. While the graphics are easy to understand remember to read the text forecasts as they will contain the localized information.
Now that you have a reliable source for a weather forecast you need to monitor the weather. First location to get weather data, as well as tide heights, is the North Wildwood weather station. The weather station is located at the boat ramp at 5th and the Bay. The data can be accessed by the website link located on the left hand side of this page. What every person that lives in a flood prone area of town should a every time we have tidal flooding conditions make several observations of water height in the vicinity of your home and immediately check the tide gauge on the North Wildwood Weather Station. Take note of the wind speed and direction as it will affect the tide height. Next time when you hear a tide height prediction you will have some kind of idea of what to expect. Other weather stations to check can be found on the Weather Underground Website link (left side of this page). This will open to a map of the United States with weather stations indicated by orange circles with a temperature on it and a black line indicating wind direction and speed. When you click on the dot a box will open with current data. If you click on the weather station ID another page will open and you will get current as well as history of weather data in graph form. This is where you can find when the rain started and at what rate it came down, etc. When you zoom in a area you will see more stations – In North Wildwood we have three personal weather stations we can look at.
To see what is happening outside North Wildwood has two public camera on the Northwildwood.com website. The first is the Surf Cam showing conditions on beach at Second Avenue it can be accessed at https://northwildwood.com/north-wildwood-surf-cam/ and the latest addition the Bay Flood Cam which shows the back bay at the 5th Avenue boat ramp. The cam can be accessed at https://northwildwood.com/north-wildwood-bay-cam/ The bay cam is useful in seeing the tide height in relation to the marshes and boat ramp to give you visually an idea of the tide height.
With these tools you can monitor the local weather and combined with your observations learn how it will affect your property and help you decide what course of action you need to take to prevent loss or damages.