While a sunny Sunday has allayed many fears, Hermine is still expected to cause high winds and coastal flooding along the Garden State coastline.
Jersey Shore revelers and residents shouldn't let a sunny Sunday fool them, forecasters say -- post-tropical storm Hermine remains an imminent threat lurking just offshore.
A visible satellite image of post-tropical storm Hermine at 5 p.m. Sunday. (courtesy NOAA)While the forecast for New Jersey undoubtedly improved as the storm tracked farther east than expected Sunday morning, experts still predict the storm will pivot north and then back west toward the Garden State in the coming 24 hours.
As a result, tropical storm warnings remain in effect for the entire coastline.
"Although the (National Hurricane Center) forecast track has been shifted eastward today, there is still a threat of tropical storm conditions, coastal flooding and large waves along portions of the mid-Atlantic and northeastern United States coast during the next couple of days," the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 p.m. update.
As of 5 p.m., Hermine has slowed down significantly, and is now heading east-northeast at 5 miles per hour off the Virginia coast. Forecasters expect a trough of low pressure to interact with Hermine in the near future, pulling it back toward the coast.
Clouds should increase overnight and rain and wind are possible along the entire New Jersey coast Monday morning. Moderate to major flooding remains possible during Monday's high tides, the National Weather Service said.
"There is particular concern for tidal flooding in the back bays due to the prolonged nature of the event with Hermine stalling off the Delmarva and NJ coast for several days," the National Weather Service's Mount Holly wrote in its most recent briefing. "In these back bays, the water will fail to drain and thus the tidal flooding threat increases with each successive high tide. Access roads to the barrier islands will likely be closed around the times of high tides, especially Monday morning and Monday evening."
Officials are urging residents along the Shore to pay close attention to the forecast, as conditions can change rapidly with only minor changes to Hermine's ultimate track.
Gov. Chris Christie seemed to be optimistic about the forecast for Labor Day. He directed that Island Beach State Park be reopened Monday at 9 a.m. but he noted state officials would closely monitor Hermine's track.
Also, Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno is resuming a regular holiday schedule, attending a Labor Day parade in South Plainfield in the morning and then another parade in Rutherford in the afternoon.
Stephen Stirling may be reached at sstirling@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @sstirling. Find him on Facebook.