Category 1 Hurricane Expected to Slowly Lose Power Over Outer Banks
This is one of those updates that we really don’t like to write but feel we have no choice in order to keep our Hidden Outer Banks followers informed.
It looks as though Hurricane Isaias will be impacting the Outer Banks and eastern North Carolina.
There are still a lot of questions about how significant those impacts will be, but unless there is a radical change in the forecast, we will be feeling those impacts here on the Outer Banks Monday and into Tuesday.
If the current track holds, Ocracoke will experience the outer bands Monday morning as the storm tracks north. The northern Outer Banks will be affected Monday evening through Tuesday morning.
Ocracoke has begun mandatory evacuations for visitors. It may seem a bit early but ferry routes to Cherry Point and Swan Quarter have experienced significant shoaling. Because of that, the number of runs the ferries can make has been reduced and Hyde County emergency management is recommending people use the Hatteras/Ocracoke ferries.
As we report this, there have been no evacuations ordered for Dare County.
Although there has been very little change in the National Hurricane Center forecast track for Isaias, there has been some adjustments over the past 24 hours. The storm track has moved west—inland—just a little bit.
Tropical systems tend to be a tight band of intense wind and storms with outer bands of rain and winds spreading out from the core. Because of that, even a 50 mile change in the track of the storm can significantly change the its effects.
Right now, the NHC forecast track seems to have the storm making landfall north of Wilmington and exiting almost on the Virginia/North Carolina state line.
Interaction with land weakens tropical systems. That may be part of the reason why the forecast winds are predicted to diminish from category 1 hurricane strength to tropical storm strength as it passes the northern Outer Banks.
We’ll publish updates as we learn a bit more about the track of Hurricane Isaias and the steps officials are taking to protect life and property.
Content provided by Kip Tabb.