Flooding reported in multiple spots with Monday’s high tide; N.C. 12 may remain closed until Tuesday

Another cycle of ocean overwash caused additional flooding in multiple spots along Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands with Monday morning’s 10:00 a.m. high tide, including Pea Island and Mirlo Beach, northern Buxton, northern Ocracoke, and Avon from roughly the Avon Pier to the Food Lion shopping plaza.

Per a 10:00 a.m. update from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), N.C. Highway 12 remains closed between Oregon Inlet and Rodanthe, as the coastal storm continues to make travel unsafe on the highway’s northern section.

Ocean overwash destroyed some dunes protecting N.C. 12 on Pea Island, and forced the road’s closure on Sunday.

N.C. Department of Transportation crews will continue today to push sand off areas of N.C. Highway 12 when they are able to safely do so, however, the overwash that blew out the dunes at Mirlo and Pea Island continues to inundate N.C. 12 this morning, and the highway could remain closed through Tuesday as crews must clear the highway of sand and rebuild the washed-out dunes that protect it.

The low pressure system that started Saturday continues to bring heavy winds to coastal North Carolina, but will slowly move away on Monday, with winds gradually diminishing through tonight. Coastal flooding issues could linger into Tuesday, and mainly for areas along the coast where dunes have been severely damaged.

For more information on the local forecast, visit www.weather.gov/mhx for general weather information, or the National Weather Service office in Newport / Morehead City’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NWSMoreheadCity/.