Coastal Flood Warning issued for the Outer Banks

3:00 P.M. UPDATE: N.C. Highway 12 is open and passable on Hatteras Island as of Saturday at 3:00 p.m. per an update from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). There is some standing water and sand on the roadway from Oregon Inlet to Hatteras Village, (particularly north of Hatteras Village, which experienced ocean overwash on Saturday morning), and drivers are advised to use caution.

N.C. 12 on northern Ocracoke Island from the NPS Pony Pens to the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry terminal remains closed due to severe ocean overwash that occurred with Saturday morning’s high tide at approximately 7:00 a.m. The road will reopen, (and ferry service will resume), when conditions improve. The Hatteras-Ocracoke, Ocracoke-Swan Quarter, and Ocracoke-Cedar ferry operations have all been suspended due to weather conditions.

A Coastal Flood Warning has been issued for the Outer Banks from Sunday at 2 a.m. until Tuesday at 2 a.m., while a Coastal Flood Advisory remains in effect until 8 p.m. on Saturday, per an update from the National Weather Service.

N.C Highway 12 remained open and passable on Hatteras Island as of Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m., however, sand was reported on multiple sections of the northbound lane on Pea Island, per the Dare County Sheriff’s Office. Caution is advised.

Severe ocean overwash was reported on northern Ocracoke Island on Saturday morning, and N.C. Highway 12 is closed from the NPS Pony Pens to the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry terminal. All Ocracoke Island ferry operations have been suspended due to deteriorating weather conditions.

A complex low pressure system will continue to bring multiple threats to Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands through early next week.

Widespread rains will end Saturday afternoon, and up to 3 inches of rainfall is possible during the storm.

The storm will produce two surges of wind, one out of the south on Saturday morning, and the other out of the north from Saturday evening through Sunday.

Winds gusts of 45-55 mph are possible, and northerly winds will peak Saturday night through Sunday.

On the oceanside, large breaking waves of 10-15 feet are expected in the surf zone for all beaches throughout the weekend and into next week, and oceanside flooding of 2-4 feet above ground level is possible through Tuesday. N.C. Highway 12 may be impacted by ocean overwash, especially around the times of high tide. The next high tide is approximately 7:20 p.m. on Saturday.

Minor to moderate soundside flooding is expected on Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island, with flooding of 2-4 feet above ground level possible from late Saturday through Monday.

A Gale Warning, Wind Advisory, and High Surf Advisory are all in effect for the Outer Banks.

• For more information on the local weather forecast, visit www.weather.gov/mhx for weather information, or the National Weather Service office in Newport/Morehead City’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NWSMoreheadCity/.
• To get notified of ferry delays or cancellations, sign up for text and/or email alerts via the N.C. Ferry System’s FINS system: www.ncdot.gov/fins. Users will get notified of any schedule changes directly from the terminal, and can unsubscribe at any time.
• For updates regarding road conditions, visit DriveNC.gov and follow the North Carolina Department of Transportation and NCDOT NC 12 on Facebook. The Dare County Sheriff’s Office also shares local road condition updates on its Facebook page.