For more than two months, they were lost at sea. Tumbled by waves. Thrown into the sandy bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
But after a strong gust of wind dislodged several umbrellas from the sand in the Bethany Beach area last August and tossed them dramatically into the ocean, some of these umbrellas have once again made their way back home … well, sort of.
On Wednesday, the Town of Dewey Beach posted on Facebook that they had received “numerous reports” of people finding umbrellas sticking out of the sand during low tide.
Town Manager Bill Zolper said the town received reports of about four or five umbrellas buried in the sand by the end of the day Wednesday. The town warned people to be cautious when entering the water or letting their pets explore the shoreline.
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“Our maintenance crew and beach concessions provider are working to inspect the beach at low tide, and remove any umbrellas,” the town stated in the social media post.
Dewey Beach encouraged anyone who noticed umbrellas in the tide line to call the town hall at 302-227-6363 or make a report through the 311 System at www.townofdeweybeach.com/311. When making a report, people should provide a street location to help direct staff.
What happened in August
On the afternoon of Aug. 5, the National Weather Service sent out a special weather statement predicting 40-mph winds and possible pea-sized hail. Trent Davis, a meteorologist at the Mount Holly, New Jersey, station, said in an interview with Delaware Online/The News Journal that this type of advisory is like a “first stepping stone” to a severe thunderstorm warning.
Meteorologists and lifeguards alike have warned beachgoers to be wary of storm warnings and know that sudden severe weather can easily arrive along the coast.
And that’s just what happened in the Bethany Beach area.
Multiple beachgoers commented later on Facebook that the storm came earlier than expected and started intensifying as it got closer to the water − and, as one commenter put it, “there was little you could do to get out of the way.”
As the wind quickly picked up and started whipping sand and loose articles on the beach, people helped each other get to shelter on this summer Friday afternoon.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s an umbrella?
Then, the umbrellas went flying.
One visitor recorded a video from a porch at Sea Colony in Bethany Beach, and through the cloudy haze of wind and sand, dozens of umbrellas all rose up into the air and blew toward the ocean.
“It was sunny, then a slight drizzle, and most people stayed on the beach which is normal,” one person commented on Facebook. “Then all hell broke loose, instantaneously.”
Meteorologists say that the sea breeze along the Delaware coast is often to blame for this quickly-changing weather because it can “kick-start” storms into action.
While these seemingly spontaneous summer storms are likely behind us now as the Delaware beaches ease into fall, the memories of this August storm continue to wash up in Dewey Beach in the form of plastic umbrellas sticking precariously out of the sand.
Emily Lytle covers Sussex County from the inland towns to the beaches, with a focus on health-related issues. Got a story she should tell? Contact her at elytle@delmarvanow.com or 302-332-0370. Follow her on Twitter at @emily3lytle.
