As Leslie Creeps North, Rip Current Risk 'High'
National Weather Service warning in effect through evening
Although Hurricane Leslie is hundreds of miles away and out at sea, the risk of rip currents along the New Jersey coastline on Thursday is high, according to the National Weather Service.
Wind and wave conditions will support the development of "very strong rip currents," the NWS says.
Swells from Leslie's large, slow-moving circulation are producing elevated surf along along most of the eastern seaboard, experts say.
And that elevated surf has caused an abnormally high risk of rip currents, they say.
"The rip currents will be life threatening to anyone who enters the surf," according to the NWS warning.
As current surf conditions are three-to-five feet high, the high risk warning will remain in effect through tonight across all New Jersey and Delaware coastlines, the NWS says.
Leslie is not expected to hit Bermuda until the weekend, and is expected to stay far from the shores of the northeastern U.S., forecasters say.
In fact, weather this weekend is predicted to be partly cloudy on Friday and Sunday, with a just a 30-percent chance of thunderstorms on Saturday.
Temperatures are expected to be in the low-to-mid 80s on Friday and Saturday, before dropping to a cool, yet comfortable, 73 degrees on Sunday.
While beaches in Manasquan and Belmar will be free to get on, lifeguards will be on duty this weekend in both boroughs.
For a live view of local ocean conditions, check out these surf cameras:
