Report: Atlantic, Cape May Counties in Flooding Bullseye By 2050

Imagine if Atlantic County had a destructive coastal flood every year.

A research group is predicting that there is a good chance of that happening by 2050.

A study by Climate Central, an independent group of scientists that researches and reports the facts about our changing climate and how it affects people’s lives, paints a bleak future for coastal South Jersey in the decades ahead.

By 2050, a 3.2 ft. coastal flood is expected to occur every year in Atlantic County, NJ, if we continue on our current heat-trapping pollution pathway.

Local Communities' Risk of a Catastrophic Flood By 2050

The study allows you to choose the town you like and see what percentage of the population will be at risk of a catastrophic flood by 2050.

With thanks to Frank Kummer of the Philadelphia Inquirer, I picked several South Jersey coastal towns to see the estimated risk of flooding in 25 years.

Atlantic County:

- Atlantic City: percentage at risk = 74%

- Brigantine: percentage at risk = 59%

- Margate: percentage at risk = 78%

- Ventnor: percentage at risk = 68%

Cape May County:

- Avalon: percentage at risk = 82%

- Cape May: percentage at risk = 81%

- North Wildwood: percentage at risk = 94%

- Ocean City: percentage at risk = 86%

- Wildwood: percentage at risk = 95%

New Jersey's Sea Level Rise

Kelly Van Baalen, a project manager at Climate Central who wrote the report, said areas already experiencing regular coastal flooding will likely see extreme worsening of the condition in the next 25 years.

"As sea levels are projected to rise about a foot in the next 25 to 30 years, we’re going to see that those coastal floods get deeper, more damaging, as they push further inland and affect more people. This is going to be a serious challenge.”

The NJ DEP recently released a report showing 61% of the state’s coastal wetlands may be at risk of being lost because of accelerating sea-level rise.

New Jersey’s 200,000 acres of wetlands provide important protection against storm surges.

The conclusion for now?

Overall, Climate Central’s report said about 2.5 million Americans live in 1.4 million homes in areas at risk. Florida, New York, and New Jersey have the highest numbers of people and homes at risk.