Shelly Island is gone with the wind – for now, anyway

North Carolina’s newest island had a short run.

Shelly Island, the intriguing Outer Banks sandbar that began forming last fall, has connected to the tip of Hatteras Island’s Cape Point, WNCN reported.

That, of course, could change with help from the same forces credited for the connection. Reports suggest the link is some of Hurricane Irma’s handiwork with some help from Hurricane Jose stirring in the Atlantic.

A clear connection is apparent at low tide on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, according to the Virginian-Pilot. Only a 6-inch-deep stream of water was said to separate the island at high tide.

Shelly Island gained national attention as it was featured by several news networks this summer.

Since then, it has drawn significant crowds to the local economy’s benefit. Revenues for all lodging on the Outer Banks were reported to be a record $140.2 million for July.

“Maybe Shelly Island had a role to play, and I think it quite possibly did,” Lee Nettles, the director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, told the Virginian-Pilot. “It sparked the imagination of the public.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2017 at 9:50 AM with the headline "Shelly Island is gone with the wind – for now, anyway."