Jersey Shore officials say smoke is clearing and they expect crowds on the beaches this weekend
Reports say the Jersey Shore will be mostly sunny through Sunday after some Saturday morning haze.
After some strange days of smoke over the sand and ocean, officials at the Jersey Shore say the beaches and boardwalks are quickly clearing for the weekend.
“It’s a real bluebird day down here,” Marty Frank, captain of the Cape May Beach Patrol, told The Inquirer Friday morning. “We’re expecting crowds.”
Jim Eberwine, a retired marine meteorologist with the National Weather Service office and an Atlantic County resident said “things are improving, quickly” at the Jersey Shore after very smoky conditions Thursday.
“There was smoke on the water, like a fog bank,” he said. “This is probably the longest, extended period of these smoky conditions I’ve seen in our area in 30 to 40 years.“
The National Weather Service weekend forecast for most Shore towns, including Sea Isle City and Beach Haven, called for some haze on Saturday morning then mostly sunny through Sunday. On Friday morning, most of South Jersey’s air quality was fair to poor.
Air at the Shore, specifically on the beach, will always be slightly better because of the Atlantic Ocean. Beachgoers should check air quality numbers and plan their day accordingly.
“You’re always going to be getting some ventilation at the beach,” Eberwine said.
In Avalon, Cape May County, borough administrator Scott Wahl said tag checkers were pulled from their posts Thursday to limit particulate exposure. Lifeguards, Wahl said, were rotated in and out of the air conditioned lifeguard buildings.
Wahl and Frank, in Cape May, said both town’s beaches were open Friday without limitations.
North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello also noted a dramatic change in the last 24 hours, though he expected crowds this weekend regardless of the smoke conditions.
“We have a lot of bars and restaurants so I just figured they would be more crowded,” he said.
Eberwine said the smoke is coming down from Canada because upper level low pressure systems are stalling out in the atmosphere above us. That upper low is dissipating, he said, but more could form in coming weeks to bring smoke back to our region.
“They’re mostly letting these fires burn themselves out,” he said. “So there’s going to be smoke in the Northeast for a while.”