Hurricane Ian Carved 12-Foot Cliffs Into These New Jersey Beaches
Beach erosion affected many areas of the NJ coastline.
Although Hurricane Ian mainly hit the Carolinas and Florida, some of its repercussions were felt further north too, including on New Jersey's beaches.
The high tides and intense ocean activity brought by Ian led to the creation of some dramatic cliffs across New Jersey's beaches. Beach erosion impacted the New Jersey coastline and—in some points in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island—the resulting sand cliffs now stand 10-12-foot-high, James Sferra, the recycling coordinator in the public works department, told NJ.com.
Other affected areas include LBI's Harvey Cedars, where the intense wind of about 55 miles per hour led to significant dune damage and beach flooding. Dune and coastal erosion has impacted a large portion of the coastline, from the north end of Avalon to Ocean City and Atlantic City, Stewart Farrell, the director and founder of the Coastal Research Center at Stockton University, told NJ.com
The intense gusts of wind from the storm brought tidal surges further inland, which resulted in both flooding and the creation of cliffs on the beach. Luckily, the damage isn't completely irreversible, and once the winds die down on Wednesday, workers will be able to use their bulldozers to patch up the sand dunes and restore access to the beach. Luckily, better weather conditions are expected to return on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
For now, the ocean remains swollen and New Jersey residents are using social media to show how far onto the beach the water has moved.
"There should be a beach here," says one TikTok user who posted a video of conditions in Bay Head, New Jersey on October 4. On the screen, what looks like a high tide with large waves has taken over the entirety of the beach, almost reaching the wooden fence.
Take a look at the video below and check out more pictures on NJ.com: