Timeframe for Maria’s Impacts Reduced in Tuesday Evening NWS Update

Conditions may improve late Wednesday afternoon or Wednesday night – as opposed to Thursday – per the Tuesday evening briefing from the National Weather Service Newport / Morehead City Office.

“[We are] a little more confident on where Maria is going to go over the next 24-36 hours,” said David Glenn, Science and Operations Officer for NWS Newport/Morehead City. “Wednesday is when conditions will start improving for us.”

Other than the shortened timeframe of impacts from Maria, little has changed from the previous briefings by the National Weather Service.

Buoy 41025 off of Diamond Shoals in Buxton reported 21 ft. high seas on Tuesday, and rip currents and rough surf will linger until the end of the week. Three feet of soundside flooding was also reported in the Hatteras village area, per the NWS Newport/Morehead City office.

As winds switch from the north-northeast to the north-northwest, the focus moves to the soundside of the Outer Banks. Water levels in the sound are expected to remain high for the next 12-18 hours before the sound starts to recede a little.

On the oceanside, the next high tide at roughly 12:30 or 1 a.m. will be the most problematic for Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.

High winds of 30 to 40 mph, with gusts up to roughly 55 mph, will also linger overnight, but will begin to taper off late Wednesday.

Visit www.weather.gov/mhx for weather forecast information covering Eastern NC, and visit the National Hurricane Center at www.nhc.noaa.gov for information on the tropics.

The Island Free Press will continue to monitor this system and will post updates as soon as they are available.