WASHINGTON — Ocean City, Maryland, has banned residents and visitors from swimming at the city’s beaches in anticipation of Hermine’s arrival, the city’s mayor confirmed to WTOP Friday.
Mayor Rich Meehan said officials closed the gates along the boardwalk and prohibited swimming as of 5:30 p.m. Friday. The beaches, themselves, remain open but people are not allowed to swim in the water, he said.
Lifeguards will be patrolling the beaches to enforce the order, Meehan said.
Meehan urged residents to exercise caution and common sense.
“During this type of storm situation, there’s really no good percentage in being in that water to begin with,” Meehan said.
The mayor said his biggest concern is the storm surge as Hermine is predicted to stall off the coast and linger in the area. “That’s going to keep pushing water in our direction through four or five high tide cycles,” Meehan said.
The latest forecast calls for between 4-9 inches of rain and tropical storm-force winds between 30-40 mph with gusts even higher.
Ocean City and several other parts of Maryland are under a tropical storm warning. Friday evening, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan issued an order declaring states of emergency in a dozen Maryland counties, including Worcester County, where Ocean City is located.
