Coastal Flood Advisory issued for Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands as another low pressure system impacts the Outer Banks

A Coastal Flood Advisory has been issued for Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands from 8:00 p.m. on Thursday until 2:00 p.m. on Friday due to a second low pressure system that is expected to impact the Outer Banks this week, per a Wednesday evening update from the National Weather Service (NWS) Newport/Morehead City Office.

“This [system] will be faster than the one we just went through,” said NWS Meteorologist Roger Martin in a Wednesday morning interview. “It will develop tonight and cut through the area tomorrow.”

Heavy rains with 1.5-2 inches of total rainfall are forecast through Thursday, and the strongest northeasterly winds are expected Thursday evening, with gusts of up to 40 mph.

Minor coastal flooding of 1-2 ft. above normally dry ground is forecast from Thursday evening until early Friday afternoon along the oceanside and soundside of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands.

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. Soundside 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, March 23. Per a Tuesday 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.