UPDATE: Higher winds and storm surge expected tonight, tomorrow

October 8, 2016 | Local News | By: Irene Nolan

The latest update from the National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City tweaks the forecast for the approaching Hurricane Matthew to increase winds along the Outer Banks and increase storm surge levels on the soundside of southern Hatteras and Ocracoke and along the oceanside on northern Hatteras.

According to the latest statement from the Weather Service at 5 p.m., the center of Hurricane Matthew was located about 180 miles west-southwest of Buxton moving east-northeast at 13 mph. The area remains under a Tropical Storm Warning.

The latest forecast track moves Matthew to Cape Lookout overnight and then slowly east and southeast of the region on Sunday.

The National Hurricane Center says that satellite images indicate that the cloud pattern associated with Hurricane Matthew is gradually losing tropical characteristics, while it becomes embedded within a mid-latitude trough. During the next 12 hours or so, while the Matthew is hugging the North Carolina coast and taking on a more extratropical structure, the tropical-storm-force winds are expected to expand and strengthen in the western semicircle and continue to affect portions of the coast within the warning area.

As Matthew’s structure changes, the system’s strongest winds will shift to the back side of the circulation. These winds will persist over land even after the center begins to move away from the coastline, and have also increased the threat of storm surge in portions of the North Carolina Outer Banks.

The latest local Weather Service forecast is for winds along the Outer Banks to increase to 50 to 55 mph sustained with gusts as high as 80. The strongest winds will be Sunday morning into Sunday afternoon.

Saturated ground will increase the threat for downed trees and power outages.

The Weather Service has also increased the storm surge levels across southern Hatteras and Ocracoke.

Heavy rainfall will mix in with a surge from the Pamlico Sound that is now forecast to be 3 to 5 feet above ground level — with up to 6 feet in lower spots — and 4 to 7 feet above normal. That is about 2 feet higher than the surge was in Hermine in Frisco and Hatteras village.

Beaches north of Rodanthe may also see inundation of 2 to 4 feet above ground. High surf and breaking waves will likely result in moderate beach erosion and minor to moderate ocean overwash, which will be at its worst along the Outer Banks on Sunday.

The ocean overwash and soundside flooding are expected to cause issues on Highway 12 on the Outer Banks tonight and Sunday. Vulnerable areas along the Outer Banks, such as in Kitty Hawk, could experience erosion during multiple tide cycles.

Very rough seas are expected with waves of 20 feet or greater.

There is also an isolated threat of a tornado tonight in areas adjacent to the Pamlico Sound, including the Outer Banks.

Heavy rainfall continues to be the storm’s primary threat on the North Carolina mainland, where some counties are under flash flood emergencies and river flooding may equal the catastrophic levels of Hurricane Floyd in 1999.

MORE INFORMATION

Click here for the latest Hurricane Matthew briefing from the local National Weather Service office.

To receive email updates directly from Dare County Emergency Management, register online at www.darecountyem.com and follow @DareCountyEM on Twitter.

Residents and visitors may contact Dare County Emergency Management by calling 252.475.5655 or visiting www.darenc.com for updated information.

For information regarding road conditions and closures, visit http://tims.ncdot.gov/tims/RegionSummary.aspx?co=28. For up to date information regarding the status of NC12, visit www.facebook.com/NCDOTNC12

For local weather information, go to http://www.weather.gov/mhx/. The page has links to the tropical forecast. You can find the beach forecast, including the rip current forecast on the Island Free Press home page — at the top right. Click on the icon with the beach umbrella