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Growing risk of Coastal Flooding along the Outer Banks

Ethan Clark

September 22, 2026 at 10:11:05 PM

Our Nor’easter will start to get going by tomorrow evening. I'm still expecting a Coastal Flooding risk along the Outer Banks. Winds along the Outer Banks will gust 30-45 MPH tomorrow; coastal flooding risk will begin by tomorrow evening, but based on the data, the greatest risk of moderate coastal flooding will be with high tide Thursday morning, Thursday night, and Friday morning. We will likely see flooding along Highway 12 on Pea Island, south of Oregon Inlet and potentially in Buxton. So if you need to leave Hatteras Island because you must be off the Island Thursday/Friday or Saturday morning, I would do it tomorrow. 40-50MPH wind gusts likely Thursday into Friday along the Outer Banks.

There will be a risk of some Coastal Flooding North of Oregon Inlet, but generally less of a risk to Highway 12 in these locations.


Highway 12 at the North end of Ocracoke could also become impassable at times.


You'll have to leave Ocracoke most likely via second sound class ferry service to Swansquarter or Cedar Island, but high winds could impact that too.


I'll continue to monitor.


#noreaster #outerbanks


-Ethan

Mountains

110°F

Raleigh area

CADEN NELSON

CADEN NELSON

Forecast Monday November 4th.

Writer: Ethan Clark
Ethan Clark
Nov 4, 2024
1 min read

It's a new day across the state, and the weather will change some today. Happy Monday, North Carolina! Looking over the state this morning, we have a high-pressure positioned to our north that will result in a CAD-like setup. For those who are new to this Cold Air Damming (CAD), often referred to as "the wedge, It occurs when a high-pressure system to the north directs cold, dense air southward along the eastern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains. This cool air becomes trapped against the mountains, creating a wedge-shaped mass that can lead to prolonged periods of cloudy, cool, and damp conditions in the region. We will see somewhat of a wedge today; it typically occurs mainly from Raleigh west. Eastern and Coastal NC usually break out of CADs quickly. Highs today will be tricky depending on how strong the CAD is; I am going with the 50s and 60s from Raleigh West today with 70s east. How fast the CAD breaks will impact how quickly temps warm up from Raleigh west. Models do a horrible job with this, so I've undercut most temps at least 5° Raleigh and points west.

Today, a few scattered showers are possible across the mountains and an isolated shower elsewhere. However, nothing too heavy is expected or widespread. We can expect partly to mostly cloudy skies today with more sunshine east.


-Ethan

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