No swimming warning at New Jersey, Delaware beaches as Hurricane Erin creates dangerous rip currents
Lifeguards at Wildwood beach will not be on stands or in the water Tuesday, but will still patrol the beach in vehicles
WILDWOOD, N.J. (WPVI) -- The National Weather Service is strongly urging beachgoers to stay out of the water in the coming days in New Jersey and Delaware as Hurricane Erin churns up dangerous rip currents off the Northeast coast.
We've learned lifeguards at the popular Wildwood beach will not be on stands or in the water on Tuesday, but will still patrol the beach in vehicles.
The same goes for lifeguards at North Wildwood beach, according to officials.
Wildwood officials announced Monday and said the Wildwood Beach Patrol will look at each day individually to determine whether conditions are safe for lifeguards.
Gov. Phil Murphy is asking everyone to stay out of the water at New Jersey beaches as conditions worsen over the course of the week.
It's bad timing as shore towns wind down the last few weekends of the summer season before Labor Day.
RELATED: Hurricane Erin forces evacuations on North Carolina's Outer Banks, threatens dangerous rip currents
Families are also trying to hit the beach before students across the region begin returning to school, some as early as Monday.
Emergency management officials said even though the center of Hurricane Erin will stay hundreds of miles off the coast, it's a big storm and will be churning up higher-than-normal tides this week, leading up to the new moon on Saturday.
The rough seas and gusty winds are expected to cause beach erosion, which we know Wildwood and other beaches have experienced in the past.
Officials say it's too dangerous to swim.
RELATED: What to know about rip current dangers
"You shouldn't go in the water today, or the next couple of days until the storm is over. If you do go in the water, keep it ankle deep. Anything further than that a rip current can take you right out, even at knee-deep," said Brigantine Beach Patrol Asst. Chief Mike Morrell.
The National Weather Service put out an alert Monday for New Jersey and Delaware, saying, "Life-threatening rip currents are likely for all people entering the surf zone. Anyone visiting the beaches should stay out of the surf. Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water."
Officials said tides will be higher than normal and that some shore towns and beaches are expecting borderline minor flooding, mainly around storm drains but conditions can change.
