Oceans Calling is no stranger to storms: How will Hurricane Helene impact the music fest?
With Hurricane Helene strengthening into a major Category 3 hurricane, concerns have begun to grow for Ocean City, Maryland's, long-awaited second round of Oceans Calling Festival.
Here's everything we know about the devastating storm, including its predicted path across the U.S., and if festivalgoers need to fret over the incoming rain.
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Will Hurricane Helene impact this year's Oceans Calling Festival?
The southeastern state of Florida is the first up on Hurricane Helene's hit list. Florida will soon face a life-threatening storm surge, as Helene is expected to make landfall Thursday evening, Sept. 24, as a Category 4 hurricane.
Hurricane Helene's path will impact the Southeast. As of now, it's projected to plow across Florida before slamming into Georgia and Tennessee, while also affecting nearby states such as Alabama, Kentucky, the Carolinas and more.
Helene’s large wind field — which has now reached wind speeds of 105 mph — means impacts will be felt far away from the storm. As a result, states lining the East Coast, including Maryland, are not exempt from her wrath.
According to The Weather Channel, Ocean City can expect both wind and occasional rain showers to pick up over the weekend, before wrapping up halfway through the following week, around Wednesday, Oct. 2.
However, rest assured: Any safety concerns that pop up over the span of the three-day music festival can be directed to Oceans Calling's SafeVest personnel, who can be found donning bright yellow vests.
"Say hello to SafeFest, a team dedicated to helping festival-goers all weekend long. Safety is our #1 priority at #OceansCalling, so if you need any assistance at all, just look for signs with the helping hand or team members in yellow vests!" the festival promoters said online.
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Hurricane Ian forced Oceans Calling Festival to cancel in 2022
Oceans Calling Festival is no stranger to severe storms. The music festival made a comeback in 2023 after being forced to cancel in 2022 due to Hurricane Ian's impending bad weather.
The three-day, inaugural music festival's plans were foiled when then-Hurricane Ian formed, bringing with it endless bouts of rain, wind, flooding, beach erosion and large breaking waves of 7-10 feet to the resort town.
Now, with Hurricane Helene about to make landfall in the U.S., festivalgoers have expressed their concerns regarding the worrisome weather online. Yet, the festival promoters are unfazed.
"Expect to dance in some rain," @oceanscallingmd said in a comment on Instagram.
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What is the weather forecast?
Like Oceans Calling Festival said online, be sure to expect some light rain in Ocean City this weekend.
According to The Weather Channel, festivalgoers can expect a chance of showers and thunderstorms on Friday, with an 80% chance of rain that evening. Friday will also see a high temperature of 75 degrees.
Then, Saturday's forecast calls for partly cloudy skies early in the day, and a 50% chance of rain that evening beginning around midnight. Temperatures will reach a high of 78 degrees.
The final day of the musical festival, Sunday, is calling for a 40% chance of rain showers and a high temperature of 74 degrees. As the day goes on, the sky is expected to remain considerably cloudy.
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Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Hurricane Helene to bring wind and rain to Oceans Calling Festival
