Severe weather threatens Outer Banks
Published 8:42 pm Friday, March 11, 2022
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The National Weather Service has issued a series of advisories and a warning about the severe weather heading for the Outer Banks on Saturday.
The severe weather is expected to start Saturday morning around 7 a.m.
A high wind warning is in place until 4 p.m. Saturday. Wind gusts are expected to reach between 60 and 70 miles per hour. Sustained winds will come from the southwest then northwest on Saturday afternoon and evening.
A high surf advisory lasts until 7 p.m. Saturday. The weather service predicts large breaking waves of eight to 12 feet in the surf zone from Cape Hatteras south. Minor ocean overwash will be possible in vulnerable locations.
A coastal flood advisory is in effect until 10 p.m. Saturday. Expect up to two feet of inundation above ground level in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways on soundside locations on Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. One weather service graphic predicts three feet above ground along the soundside north of Oregon Inlet.
A storm warning is in effect from 6 a.m. Saturday for all ocean and Pamlico Sound waters from Oregon Inlet to Ocracoke Inlet. Seas are expected to be 11 to 16 feet. “Mariners should remain in port, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe conditions,” warns the National Weather Service. The storm warning lapses at 6 p.m. Saturday evening.
That’s not all. Temperatures will fall rapidly. Snow flurries may occur Saturday afternoon and evening. No accumulation is expected. For Sunday morning, wind chill on Hatteras Island will be as low as 16 degrees and 13 degrees in Kill Devil Hills.