Oceans Calling 2022 festival in Ocean City canceled due to Tropical Storm Ian
Tropical Storm Ian could again become a hurricane, forecasters say. Expecting poor weather, Ocean City has announced the cancellation of this weekend's big Oceans Calling Festival.
The Delmarva Peninsula will likely experience weather issues even as the storm's path and intensity continues to change.
The three-day inaugural music festival — with headliners Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds, Alanis Morissette and the Lumineers — was set to bring a huge crowd to the resort before then-Hurricane Ian formed earlier this week.
Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said the cancellation decision was all about safety.
“We are extremely disappointed to cancel Oceans Calling Festival,” Meehan said. “We have been working closely with the event promotors since May 2021. Their hard work, and the hard work of our staff, were evident in every detail of the event planning and preparation. Although this is disappointing to all of us, we are already working with C3 Presents to bring Oceans Calling Festival back to Maryland’s Coast next year.”
Will refunds be issued?
Oceans Calling posted about the cancellation on its Facebook page: "Due to unsafe weather conditions on the Oceans Calling Festival grounds caused by Hurricane Ian and additional severe weather conditions forecasted for the rest of the weekend, we have made the difficult and heartbreaking decision to cancel this weekend’s Oceans Calling Festival. We hoped for a better outcome and are disappointed to share this news, however, the safety of our fans, artists and staff is our top priority."
For tickets purchased directly through Front Gate Tickets, a full refund will be issued to the original method of payment within 30 days, according to the Oceans Calling Facebook page.
The latest on Tropical Storm Ian
The death toll was rising and thousand of residents desperately sought rescue Thursday as historically powerful Hurricane Ian, now a tropical storm, hammered Florida with heavy rain and strong winds, one of the strongest systems in U.S. history.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis described the storm as "500-year flooding event" and said Coast Guard helicopters were plucking trapped residents from the roofs of homes. Communities across the state were or will be swamped by the overwhelming waters, he said.
Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said on CNN that at least five deaths have been confirmed in his county, which includes Fort Myers. And a 72-year-old man in Deltona, about 30 miles northeast of Orlando, died after falling into a canal while using a hose to drain his pool in the heavy rain, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said.
Ian had weakened to a tropical storm but was forecast to continue roaring across the state most of the day before heading out into the Atlantic. The storm flooded entire communities, leaving residents stranded in their homes after making landfall Wednesday with 150-mph maximum sustained winds — just 7 mph shy of a Category 5 hurricane, the strongest on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane scale.
What's expected on Eastern Shore
As of Thursday morning, the National Weather Service issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for all Maryland beaches and Accomack and Northampton counties in Virginia. Weather officials warned, "Tropical Storm Ian is forecasted to make a second landfall along the South Carolina coast Friday afternoon, before moving northwest and weakening over the Carolinas Saturday."
Meanwhile, strong high pressure will remain anchored across New England into the weekend. The combination of the high to the north and the tropical low to the south will funnel moisture into the region, with periods of heavy rain possible Friday into Friday night. Another area of low pressure is expected to form along the coast Sunday into Monday after a lull Saturday into Saturday night.
MORE:Will Hurricane Ian, now tropical storm, hit Maryland? Virginia declares state of emergency
This will bring periods of breezy to windy conditions along the coast and produce a variety of coastal impacts, including coastal flooding, high surf, beach erosion and strong rip currents.
The strength of the storm prompted Virginia Gov. Glenn Younkin to declare a state of emergency beginning Friday, Sept. 30.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Oceans Calling 2022 in Ocean City, Md. canceled due to weather threat
