Ocracoke ferries resume operations on Monday; N.C. Highway 12 remains open
All Ocracoke ferry operations resumed service on Monday morning, and N.C. Highway 12 remained open and free of ocean overwash after an Easter weekend nor’easter that impacted the Outer Banks.
“NC12 is open and passable, with NO ocean overwash issues last night,” stated the North Carolina Department of Transportation in a Monday morning update. “Our crews will be out in force today to clear the road of wind-blown sand and widen the buffer between the dunes and the pavement, so please slow down, drive carefully, and give them room to work.”
The three Ocracoke ferry routes were canceled starting on Saturday morning due to high winds, but as of Monday morning at 7:00 a.m., all operations have resumed. This includes the Hatteras-Ocracoke route, the Ocracoke-Cedar Island route, and the Ocracoke-Swan Quarter route.
Weather conditions are expected to continue to improve on Monday, with winds diminishing throughout the day. Maximum wind gusts of 56 mph were recorded on Hatteras Island during the weekend storm, per an update from the National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City office.
A High Surf Advisory and Small Craft Advisory remain in effect for Monday, April 10, due to large breaking waves of 6 to 9 feet in the surf zone, particularly north of Cape Hatteras.
For more information on the local 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/.
