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While winter has its virtues, those of us who prefer tank tops to sweaters crave warm temps. If you’re counting the days until spring, here’s something for you to look forward to.
Storm Update – Monday Morning 10/10/16
Arriving guests should be aware that at this time they will not be allowed on the Outer Banks. For more information on this please visit www.darenc.com where the latest updates from emergency management are available.
We are working this morning with limited staffing and are busily preparing houses for arrival and we are assessing damages as we can. Property owners will be contacted if and when damage is found at your property.
Many streets are still very flooded, particularly in the Duck, Southern Shores and Corolla area as well as Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills. There are still widespread power outages on the beach with more than 12,000 customers still without power this morning.
Conditions are improving weather wise today so we are hopeful water levels will go down and we can welcome our visitors soon. At this time conditions are not great with many roads having up to a foot of standing brackish water that vehicles have to go through to access properties.
We will be in touch with our arriving guests as soon as we are aware that you can access your property. There is no timetable on this at this time.
Thank you for your patience in this situation. This storm created much more damage than expected, and we are all working towards a return to normalcy as soon as possible.
Hurricane Matthew #3 10/8/16
Hurricane Matthew continues to be a monster storm that has and is pounding coastal communities to our south. Our thoughts and prayers go out to residents of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina which have seen significant damage from win, rain and flooding. The storm continues to be a category 2 storm with winds near 100 MPH near the eye of the storm. While the storm has weakened from the interaction with land, it is still a dangerous storm causing significant damage in its path.
As for the Outer Banks this morning we are seeing outer rain bands from the storm start to affect our weather. We are under a Hurricane watch this morning, a flash flood warning, and a state of emergency remains in effect for the majority of North Carolina. Higher tides are expected as well as some beach erosion.
The most probably projected path of the storm continues to take the storm up the South Carolina coast today to a point north of Charleston, SC and Wilmington, NC at which time the storm is expected to take an abrupt turn to the East, and then out to sea before the storm turns to the South away from the Outer Banks.
We expect to have heavy rain begin today and continue through tonight and into tomorrow. Likewise winds are expected to pick up to the 20-25 MPH range today. Otherwise we expect the impacts to be minimal, and it is business as usual here on the OBX.
There is no evacuation order in place for our area, nor do we expect that to change.
We will honor our scheduled check ins this weekend, but caution is urged for all who are travelling today with heavy rain predicted to make roadways flood in some places.
All the best from the beach.
Hurricane Matthew Update #1
11 PM. Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Hurricane Matthew is a strong tropical weather event that has the attention of virtually all people on the East Coast of the United States. At this time the projected path of the storm is still uncertain, but almost all predictions show that the storm will have some impact on the Outer Banks over the next several days.
The Dare County Control group met this afternoon for the first time, and a state of emergency was put in place for all of the northern Outer Banks including all of Hatteras Island, and the northern OBX towns of Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores, and Duck.
The Dare County Control Group (made up of representative of each town, the county, and the national park service) were advised of the projected path of the storm and the probabilities of impact on the Outer Banks.
After their meeting no evacuation of the area was ordered, but the control group urged all local residents and visitors to make arrangements immediately to prepare for the storm. The control group will be meeting again on Wednesday to further evaluate updated forecast information and determine protective measures necessary to ensure public safety.
At this time Outer Banks Blue is recommending all property owners and guests to stay tuned to updates on the storm’s strength and direction over the next few days. Residents and visitors have been advised to make preparations to evacuate the area.
We will endeavor to provide updates to the storm here approximately once ever 12 hours until the storm’s threat has passed. Our staff will be working as normal.
Tropical Storm Hermine Advisory #4
Tropical Storm Hermine has moved offshore, but the northern Outer Banks is now getting heavy winds as the storm pulls out to sea. The area continues to be under a Tropical Storm warning until 8 PM tonight.
As of 2 PM the center of circulation of Tropical Storm Hermine was located 90 Miles North Northeast of Duck, North Carolina and was moving towards the Northeast at 10 miles per hour. Winds in the storm are sustained at 70 miles per hour. Winds in the Kitty Hawk area are currently in the 30 to 40 MPH range with higher gusts, but rain is light and variable now.
Earlier today the eye of the storm crossed over the Outer Banks and rain subsided. Winds were subsiding, and it appeared that the area had dodged a bullet with regard to the storm. However winds have increased significantly as the day has progressed making travel difficult. Take a look here to see the latest conditions on the beach in Kill Devil Hills with our beach webcam.
Two accidents have occurred on area bridges which has snarled traffic in the area, and created a great deal of speculation about what roads are closed, etc. At this time the main bridge to the Outer Banks (The Wright Memorial Bridge) is open and clear although it is very windy and drivers should use extreme caution when crossing. Also a portion of Highway 12 in Kitty Hawk is closed at the 3 1/2 milepost where ocean over wash has taken place previously.
Arriving guests are advised to use extreme caution and patience in their travel today, and if their plans permit it a Sunday arrival may be more advisable than coming into the heavy winds that are being experienced on the Outer Banks at this time.
Tropical Storm Hermine Advisory #3
Tropical Storm Hermine’s full effects are being felt along the Outer Banks early this morning with heavy winds, lots of rain, and road flooding being experienced at this time.
(Rt. 158 in Kitty Hawk flooded early this morning)
At 5:00 AM the center of circulation of Tropical Storm Hermine was located approximately 55 miles North of Cape Lookout, North Carolina and headed towards the East-Northeast at 21 Miles Per hour. At this time sustained winds in the storm are topping at 60 MPH, with gusts higher in isolated areas. The latest track of the storm will have the center of circulation pass over the Outer Banks mid-day today. Weather conditions are expected to continue to be very poor through the end of Saturday with constant rain, heavy winds, and flooded roads being the norm for today.
Conditions on the Outer Banks have worsened overnight with rainfall amounts totaling more than 6 inches over the last 12 hours. Many roads in the area are flooded early this morning including parts of Highway 12 in Southern Shores and Duck, as well as US 158 in Kitty Hawk. Several vehicle accidents have been reported already this morning. Police are on the scene of flooded roadways and directing traffic around the most heavily flooded areas. Wind has increased significantly overnight with a current wind from the East Southeast in excess of 30 MPH. This has caused many trash cans to be overturned, and loose debris from houses being blown around.
Check out our webcam that is mounted on the back of our property “Shades of Blue” in Kill Devil Hills to get a view of current beach conditions
If you are a guest travelling to the Outer Banks for check in today extreme caution and patience is encouraged on your journey. Expect longer than normal travel times and some significant delays due to weather conditions affecting travel. Many arriving guests are deciding to delay their arrival until Sunday morning which is advisable due to the fact weather conditions will be very poor all day on Saturday on the Outer Banks.
If you are a guest staying with Outer Banks Blue we request that you secure all deck furniture and loose items around the house. Please advise the office if you decide to depart early.
There is no mandatory evacuation order in place for Dare or Currituck counties nor is any expected to be issued.
Outer Banks Blue is open for business as usual today and will pass along weather updates as they are available.
Tropical Storm Hermine Advisory #2
A Tropical Storm Warning, and a Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for Dare and Currituck Counties in anticipation of Hermine arriving in our area overnight.
Conditions are overcast and rainy today on the Outer Banks. Rain is expected to continue through the day today and throughout Saturday. Ultimately we expect 5″ to 8″ of rain locally here on the Outer Banks. Winds are currently light (less than 10 MPH), but are expected to raise upwards of 20 Miles Per Hour overnight with gusts exceeding 40 Miles Per Hour.
At 2 PM the storm was located to the Southwest of Charleston, SC and was moving North-Northeast at 18 Miles per hour. The storm is weakening rapidly as the forward movement picks up speed. Highest sustained winds in the storm at 2PM were at 50 MPH. The current projected track has the eye of what is left of the storm to pass over Nags Head in the early morning hours of Saturday.
No evacuation orders are in effect for the northern Outer Banks nor are there any expected. Yesterday the emergency management folks in Hyde County issued a mandatory evacuation for the Island of Ocracoke, but keep in mind that is a very remote area of North Carolina, and is some 90 miles to the south of many of our rental properties here on the Outer Banks.
Arriving Guests on Saturday are urged to use extreme patience and caution on your travel to the area. Rainy conditions will slow travel times, and wind will only add to what will be another gloomy day. Expect main roads to be wet and flooded (particularly Hwy. 12 through Duck and Corolla). Several guests have advised us that they may wait until Sunday to check into their property which you may consider. Outer Banks Blue will be open for business as usual on Saturday and prepare all of the properties for arrival.
If you are a guest staying with us now we ask that you take a moment to secure any loose items you may find around the house on the decks or in the yard of the house. If you decide to head home early please give our main office a call to let us know that you are leaving (252-255-1220).
Sunday’s weather forecast is for lighter winds, and sunshine, even though we expect red flag conditions on the beach due to the threat of rip currents through Monday. We urge our valued guests to use good judgment during their vacation.
More updates will be posted here as they become available.
All the best from the beach!
Tropical Weather Advisory from the OBX
As of 9:00 AM on Friday morning (9/2/16) it appears that Tropical Storm (downgraded from a Hurricane earlier this morning) Hermine is going to affect weather on the Outer Banks this weekend.
At the time of this writing the center of circulation of the storm is approximately 50 miles southwest of Savannah, Georgia and moving toward the North-Northeast at 14 Miles Per Hour. At this pace and track the storm would pass over the southern Outer Banks in the early hours of Saturday morning and head out to sea.
Emergency Management officials do not expect to issue any declarations of evacuation for the area, and the impact of the storm are predicted to be contained to some heavy rain later today, and overnight, followed by some blustery winds and high surf on Saturday.
Here’s a picture from one of our guests (Thanks Paige Snow) showing some building clouds in the Corolla area.
If you are a vacationer planning on arriving this weekend we look forward to welcoming you. It is business as usual on the obx this morning and we are looking forward to a great tail end of the Labor Day weekend.
If weather conditions change look here for updates!
All the best from the beach!
Sunrise in Sanderling: Memory Monday August 29, 2016.
This week’s Memory Monday photo submission comes to us from Corinne Sweeney of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania who stayed with Outer Banks Blue most recently in the property “Sea Fox” in Sanderling.
Corinne shares with us a glorious, but typically beautiful Outer Banks sunrise.
This one taken during her recent stay in Duck.
This morning it seems a lot of folks are looking at the morning sunrise as tropical weather is in the offing this week. Things are great on the OBX today with warm temperatures, slight breezes, and a great beach day. We will all be watching the weather in the next couple of days and putting any updates right here on our blog.
All the best from the beach!
North Carolina Power opens Alternative Energy Labratory
| Ribbon Cutting group pictured in front of one of 4 wind turbines at the facility |
Michael Thompson, Public Affairs Manager for Dominion N.C. Power is pictured here in front of a gathering of interested citizens and politicians from all over Dare County. Mr. Thompson hosted the event and spoke to the crowd of approximately 100 about the wind energy research that this project will provide. In addition to State Senator Cook and Commissioner chair Judge every municipality in Dare County was represented at the event as were Currituck County officials present at the ceremony.
| Dominion N.C. Power spokesman Michael Thompson |
The “Micro-grid research project” is a demonstration project for the public as well as school children to come and see first hand how these items operate. When at full capacity it is expected the devices will generate 19 kilowatts of energy. Not enough to power the facility in Kitty Hawk, but an interesting interactive project where folks can see “the future energy options” that are being implemented by Dominion Power.There are dedicated parking spaces at a kiosk outside the facility where visitors can see a video presentation about what is going on with the turbines and solar panels that are located there as well as seeing a monitoring program to show how efficient the system is operating.All the best from the beach!By Tim Cafferty, President, Outer Banks Blue Realty Services
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P.O. Box 1220
Kitty Hawk, NC 27949
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