According to the forecast from our local National Weather Service office in Newport, N.C., we are in for a rather frightful weekend on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.
The meteorologists warn of rain, wind, minor soundside flooding, and cold temperatures with a coastal low that will form Saturday into Sunday. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the time changes early Sunday morning, so it will be getting dark at 5 p.m.
Here are the details:
A cold front will move through the area overnight, bringing a 60 percent chance of showers and perhaps a thunderstorm and cooler and more seasonal temperatures in the low- to mid-60s Thursday into Friday.
Friday evening promises to be hospitable enough for the kids heading out for trick-or-treating and the pirates who will begin roaming the roads in Ocracoke for the weekend’s Blackbeard’s Pirate Jamboree.
But after that, it starts getting interesting.
On Saturday, a coastal low will develop offshore in association with a strong upper low moving into the area.
The chances for precipitation begin increasing Friday night into Saturday. There’s a 30 percent chance Friday night and a 50 percent chance on Saturday until the front passes.
The models differ on the exact time of the front passage, but they agree that the coastal low will deepen as it moves to the northeast away from us. Strong north-northwest winds will develop behind the front.
The winds, which could gust to gale force over the coastal waters, will push water onto the backside of Hatteras and Ocracoke on Saturday night into early Sunday. The Weather Service’s hazardous weather outlook raises the possibility of minor soundside flooding with water levels as much as 2 to 3 feet above normal.
Also, we’ll see a strong surge of cold air with the coolest temperatures of the season so far when the front passes and skies clear Saturday night into Sunday.
The forecast calls for lows in the mid-40s Saturday night, with the high temperature on Sunday in the low-50s. Temperatures drop into the lower 40s on Sunday night, and rise into the mid-50s on Monday.
Temperatures should be more seasonable — in the lower 60s — by Tuesday.
Finally, the time changes at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, so don’t forget to set your clock back an hour before bedtime on Saturday night. And check the smoke alarm batteries.
For updates on the weekend weather, go to http://www.weather.gov/mhx/.
