Coastal storm brings large waves, strong winds to North Wildwood beaches

NORTH WILDWOOD, N.J. - A coastal storm sent massive waves crashing over the seawall at 2nd and JFK Beach Drive, soaking onlookers and drawing a crowd as strong winds battered the North Wildwood shore, according to people at the scene.

Locals gather and react as storm hits North Wildwood

What we know:

Ralphie Eckert stood by the seawall to catch a dramatic photo when waves splashed over, leaving him "soaked and satisfied," based on what happened.

Onlookers watched as the water reached over the railing, including a woman who "shockingly emerg[ed] from this wave….drier than expected."

Many people voiced concerns about the beaches. 

"Just curious to see how the beaches are doing," said Lucille Stanziale. Stanziale added, "We finally had them rebuilding up again and this is just not good."

Locals reported strong winds in the area for days. 

"The wind was unbearable and it's been for the last three days. We're on the bay over there and when the tide is coming in you can see the boats wobbling and it's pretty wicked," said Stanziale.

"It's incredible that the ocean is so angry and it's coming over like this. You never know," said Stanziale.

"You gotta get used to it. You like to live on the island then you gotta deal with it," said Susan Mackey.

Community preps for possible storm fallout and Irish Weekend

What's next:

The full impact of the storm is not fully known, with more information expected "tomorrow into the weekend," based on comments from residents.

"It'll probably be all flooded and my grass will be ruined but it's fun," said Susan Mackey.

Mackey has spent days putting up a Halloween display and considered taking it down for safety. "I'm going to deflate them. It's not too bad the wind so maybe I'll leave them up a little bit," said Mackey.

With Irish Weekend scheduled for the weekend, many are waiting to see if events will be affected. 

"I'm getting a lot of company so I'm hoping we'll be able to enjoy it or else we'll be in the house singing old Irish tunes," one person said.

What we don't know:

It is not yet clear how much damage the storm may cause to the beaches, local homes or weekend events as the full impact will depend on weather conditions in the coming days.