Another low pressure system expected to impact the OBX starting Wednesday night; N.C. 12 on Hatteras Island passable on Wednesday morning

N.C. Highway 12 was open and passable as of 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, although standing water, sand, and foggy conditions were creating less-than-ideal driving conditions. Travelers should use caution and watch for NCDOT vehicles as they work to clear the roadways.

Additional ocean overwash before or after Wednesday’s 9:25 a.m. high tide is possible, especially in areas that have seen oceanside flooding in the past several days. These areas include northern Hatteras Village, the Frisco Bathhouse, Rodanthe, the Pea Island Visitors Center, and the “Canal Zone,” south of the Basnight Bridge.

A second low pressure system is expected to impact the Outer Banks Wednesday night through Friday afternoon, bringing the potential for heavy rains, strong winds, additional coastal flooding, and dangerous marine conditions.

“This [system] will be faster than the one we just went through,” said Lead Meteorologist Roger Martin with the National Weather Service Office in Newport/Morehead City. “It will develop tonight and cut through the area tomorrow.”

Heavy rains are expected late tonight and tomorrow, and the strongest northeasterly winds are expected Thursday evening, with gusts of 40-50 mph.

Additional ocean overwash is most likely during Thursday night and Friday morning’s high tides, (approximately 10:15 p.m. on Thursday and 10:35 a.m. on Friday), especially in areas with vulnerable dune structures. By Friday night’s high tide, water levels should return to normal levels.

Soundside flooding is also a concern as the wind switches, and flooding is most likely from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning.

The highway remains closed on northern Ocracoke Island from the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry terminal to the NPS Pony Pens due to multiple cycles of ocean overwash that have occurred since Saturday.

Per an update from the N.C. Ferry System, the highway and Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry operations are expected to be closed for several more days. The Ocracoke-Swan Quarter and Ocracoke-Cedar ferries are running as scheduled, but reservations are strongly recommended.

• 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.