What Happens When a Monster Storm Hits the Jersey Shore? – Shelf Cloud
Over the past few months, it has felt like we have lived through completely different climates. From the rainy Seattle days to the hotter-than-anything Caribbean days, it surely has been interesting.
What Happens When a Monster Storm Hits the Jersey Shore? – Shelf Cloud
One thing that we seem to have been seeing a lot of is storms, and on July 1st, we had a big one stop by (after the Cape May bubble failed).
We filmed the entire experience of having to be rushed off the beach, which you can watch at the bottom of this article.
But many people asked, What happens when a storm like this hits the shore? It’s a good question. Let’s base our answer on this past storm.
This storm wasn’t as bad as it seemed, but it did cause a few hours of pause.
The craziest part of the storm is the front dark cloud called a shelf cloud.
A shelf cloud is a striking, wedge-shaped formation that appears at the forefront of a thunderstorm or squall line.
It forms where a downdraft of cool, rain‑chilled air hits the ground and spreads outward, forcing warm, moist air upward along its leading edge.
As this warm air lifts and cools, it condenses into the dramatic cloud structure that fans out across the horizon.
Also See: Monsters Have Taken Over the Wildwoods! The Mayhem Zone Mini Golf
Although these clouds look menacing—almost like rolling storm walls—they are not tornadoes; rather, they mark the boundary between storm downdraft and updraft zones.
So what actually happens when a storm like this hits Wildwood?
First, if the beaches are still open, lifeguards quickly spring into action, clearing swimmers from the water and directing everyone off the sand for safety.
Second, if Morey’s Piers is operating, they’ll issue a temporary shutdown. This usually kicks in when lightning is spotted within 10+ miles. The rides stay paused until the storm moves out and everything can be safely inspected and wiped down.
Third, we wait it out. Wildwood is a barrier island, and heavy, fast-moving storms often lead to flooding. Many locals take a precautionary step by moving their cars to higher ground—just in case. Better safe than soggy.
In the case of this storm, it took maybe 15 minutes to roll in and roll out. It just so happened that we had stuff on the beach we had to grab before the storm, which put us in an interesting situation to be stuck on the beach. (which made for an epic video)
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