The Hyde County Board of Commissioners declared a state of emergency at 5 p.m. due to the imminent threat of a tropical storm.
Hyde County offices will be closed tomorrow (Aug. 29), but Hyde County convenience sites will be open, both mainland and Ocracoke.
As of 2 p.m. Monday, the storm system known as Potential Tropical Cyclone No. 10 — a naming convention used to identify features that have a chance to develop into a tropical depression or tropical storm- – has started pummeling the Outer Banks and much of eastern Carolina.
The forecast track puts North Carolina coastal communities at the greatest risk for heavy rain and gusty winds Monday night through Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center projected a 90 percent chance of tropical development. The next named storm in the Atlantic would be “Irma.”
Forecasters say four to six inches of rain are expected with up to nie inches in some areas by Tuesday night. Flash flooding is possible near streams and creeks.
Strong wind gusts (45 to 55 mph) could result in minor damage and isolated power outages in Eastern N.C.
There is an isolated risk for tornadoes, mainly along and right of the storm track Monday night through Tuesday.
At 4:45 p.m., the N..C Ferry Division announced that the Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach route shut down this afternoon due to high water in the Neuse River, and the Cedar Island-Ocracoke run is cancelling its night runs due to high winds. They expect other routes to follow suit as conditions worsen.
The National Park Service announced that the campgrounds at Oregon Inlet, Cape Point, Frisco, and Ocracoke Campgrounds are closed as of 5 p.m. today. They will reopen after park staff are able to conduct post-storm safety assessments.
All other visitor services and facilities are expected to remain open. If visitor services need to be altered due to this severe weather event, notifications will be made through social media.
