By Joy Crist, Island Free Press
Northern Ocracoke Island remains closed Tuesday morning with Hatteras-Ocracoke ferry service suspended, due to ocean overwash and water on the roadway while Hatteras Island had minimal ocean overwash at 7:10 a.m. high tide,
The North Carolina Department of Transportation closed N.C. Highway 12 between the ferry terminal and the pony pens on northern Ocracoke Island at 8:45 p.m. on Monday night.
NCDOT crews will be working to clear the roadway on Tuesday morning, and the highway will reopen, with resumption of ferry service, when it is safe to do so.
Bands of heavy rain will gradually move north and east throughout the day today, with rain expected to end for all of the Outer Banks by midnight.
Rain over the past week will make some low-lying areas more susceptible to flooding, while large breaking waves in the surf zone will continue to make beach erosion and ocean overwash more likely, and swimming dangerous.
There have been some reports of flooding in Western Hyde County. Mattmauskeet Schools will be on remote learning today.
For updates regarding road conditions, visit DriveNC.gov and NCDOT NC 12 on Facebook.
On Hatteras Island, N.C. Highway 12 is open and passable as of 7:00 a.m., but some standing water and patches of sand remain on the roadway.
Additional ocean overwash of 1-3 feet above ground level is possible during the next high tide cycle, which is around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Due to the threat of overwash this morning, Cape Hatteras schools operated on a two hour delay.
