For Ocracoke news, click here
Ocracoke got some minor flooding in the village at high tide this morning (Tuesday, Sept. 19) but it has subsided. Unless tropical storm Jose does another doughnut and heads south, this should be it.
Hatteras and Pea island weren’t so lucky as the N.C. Highway 12 was closed for a while today because of major ocean overwash from areas south of the Bonner Bridge to Hatteras. There is also standing water in Hatteras Village.
This afternoon, after the high tide subsided, N.C. 12 was reopened but still has lots of standing water. NCDOT urged caution when traveling through the standing water and to drive slowly to avoid creating wakes. There may be more overwash this evening when high tide returns.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Maria hit the island of Dominica as a Category 5 storm and has caused substantial damage, the extent yet to be determed. It is heading directly to Puerto Rico and expected Wednesday morning to strike the island as a Category 4 or 5.
How far Maria heads east is yet to be determined, but two models have it moving north out to sea without hitting the United States. The direction will be better known in the next few days.
If the storm moves north out to sea when it passes offshore North Carolina, high winds and surf may affect the area later in the week. For more information from the National Hurricane Center on Hurricane Maria, click here for updates.
Unrelated to the storms, the Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry has once again been modified starting today due to mechanical issues. Click here for the schedule that will be in place for the next two weeks.
