The National Weather Service out of Newport/Morehead City is forecasting today (Aug. 29) that as Hurricane Idalia sweeps upward toward the Carolina coast, the area may experience significant rainfall, up to four to six inches, and a possibility of tornadoes primarily from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday.
Ahead of this storm, the Ocracoke Express passenger ferry will suspend service at the end of the day today (Aug. 29), as the vessel will be brought to the Manns Harbor shipyard for safe keeping during the storm.
All other routes will suspend operations if and when conditions worsen. Passengers can receive real-time text or email alerts from their preferred routes by signing up for the Ferry Information Notification System (FINS) at www.ncdot.gov/fins. System-wide route status updates will also be posted on the Ferry Division’s Twitter and Facebook pages.
All suspended routes will resume service as soon as it is safe to do so.
The Cape Hatteras National Seashore is expected to close its campgrounds on Wednesday. Updates on the impact of the storm will be posted on its Alerts and Conditions web page: https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
The storm may impact travel on the Outer Banks, especially with overwash on Route 12.
With the potential wind speeds of 39 to 57 mph, in addition to temporary suspension of ferry service, scattered power and communication outages are possible.
Within the heaviest bands of rain, up to eight inches of rain may fall depending on the track of the storm.
On the storm’s current track, impacts may be felt as early as Wednesday afternoon and it is expected to be a tropical storm as it approaches eastern North Carolina on Thursday.
The area remains in a prolonged period of dangerous rip current/surf conditions and beach erosion as Hurricane Franklin passes offshore.
Updates will be provided as the storm approaches.
