Parts of Outer Banks highway closed as 50 mph gusts and high waves whip NC coast

Parts of North Carolina’s fragile Outer Banks highway NC 12 vanished under ocean waves Monday, forcing the state to close a large section, according to a Facebook post from the N.C. Department of Transportation.

A photo posted by the department showed pavement was no longer visible on Ocracoke Island, forcing that area to close. The highway remained open on Hatteras Island but had “several areas of deep standing water,” the state said.

Ocean overwash has been known to be waist-deep over the highway, and it often brings tons of sand, forcing the state to close the vital tourism artery for days at a time.

The National Weather Service began warning Outer Banks drivers over the weekend that a strong low pressure system would generate gusts near 50 mph and 8-foot waves Monday, along with possible tornadoes. “Inexperienced swimmers should remain out of the water due to dangerous surf conditions,” the NWS said.

A NOAA buoy in the Diamond Shoals area off the Outer Banks recorded waves nearing 16 feet around 11 a.m. Monday, up from 4.9 feet just after midnight.

Areas impacted by the storm include Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout national seashores. Cape Hatteras officials posted a warning on the park’s Facebook page Monday, noting the “overwash on Ocracoke is likely to continue throughout today and especially at high tide this evening.”