Coastal Flood Advisory issued for Hatteras Island
Northerly winds behind a cold front that passed through the region on Labor Day have stirred up the surf, causing dangerous shore break and rip currents, along with the possibility of some overwash at high tide along the east-facing beaches on Hatteras Island tonight and tomorrow.
A Coastal Flood Advisory has been issued from Oregon Inlet to Hatteras Inlet through noon on Wednesday, and a High Risk of Rip Currents is forecast on Tuesday and Wednesday for all of the Outer Banks.
One to two feet of inundation above ground level is possible from Oregon Inlet to Cape Point a few hours before and after high tide, which is around 9 p.m. on Tuesday and 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
“The strong winds and building seas have led to some ocean overwash impacts for typically vulnerable areas near Buxton and Rodanthe,” said Roger Martin, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Newport.
“This will impact some side streets in those areas, especially ones that are dead-end at the beach,” Martin said. “This could impact some oceanfront homes outside of dune protection.”
Concerns continue about the possibility of more damage to homes in north Rodanthe, where seven houses have collapsed in the last four years, including one at the end of Corbina Drive last month.
North winds on Tuesday have been averaging around 15 to 20 mph on Hatteras Island, with gusts of up to 25 mph at times. That has caused some blowing sand issues along N.C. 12 south of Oregon Inlet throughout the day.
Along with the high risk of rip currents on Tuesday, shorebreak of up to 6 feet is possible, along with a powerful longshore current topping 25 mph.
Winds are forecast to continue from the north and northeast at 15 to 20 mph with occasional higher gusts through Thursday night.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop starting Wednesday afternoon and lasting all the way through the weekend. thanks to a low pressure system and another cold front.
Expect temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s for daytime highs and overnight lows near 70 at the beach, and the low to mid-80s for highs down to as low as 60 for inland areas.
