Several waterspouts reported along NC’s Outer Banks as Hurricane Lee churns the ocean

Multiple waterspouts were reported off North Carolina’s Outer Banks as Hurricane Lee continued to stir conditions in the Atlantic Ocean along the East Coast.

Video recorded by the Chicamacomico Banks Fire & Rescue shows a spout appeared Wednesday, Sept. 13, as a storm raged off Rodanthe near Cape Hatteras National Seashore.

Rodanthe Pier staff also reported a waterspout, and noted in a Facebook post that it was accompanied by rough surf.

“We have received several reports of waterspouts associated with thunderstorms impacting the area today,” the National Weather Service posted around 2 p.m. Wednesday.

“For those near the water, please be mindful of nearby thunderstorms and be ready to take shelter.”

The reports also included waterspouts in the Pamlico Sound, between the Outer Banks and mainland North Carolina, according to WITN Chief Meteorologist Zach Holder.

Waterspouts linked to ocean storms are referred to as tornadic waterspouts and “have the same characteristics as a land tornado,” the National Weather Service reports. “They are ... often accompanied by high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning.”

Hurricane Lee is expected to stay about 300 miles east of the Outer Banks as it moves north, according to the National Hurricane Center, but the storm’s strong winds will reach the islands, Holder reports.

The storm is forecast to create coastal flooding and “breaking waves of 10 to 15 feet in the surf zone.”

Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras national seashores have posted warnings that rough surf and rip currents have increased, making it too dangerous for swimmers to enter the ocean.

This story was originally published September 14, 2023 at 7:22 AM.