Snow transforms the Outer Banks into a winter wonderland. It is a rare phenomena—one to be treasured.
We’ll have a couple of days to enjoy this. According to every weather forecast we’ve found if the thermometer struggles to the freezing mark before Monday it will be shocking.
On the oceanfront the snow is already giving way to the sea. Last night at low tide, though, the beach was blanketed in cushion of white, the waves coming ashore were more the waves of a calm summer day than a winter storm. But in short order the salt in the air that close to the ocean begins to melt the snow and it is the first place to leave winter’s grip.
Along the sound and in the maritime forests that are so much a part of the Outer Banks, it is a different story. The shoreline away from the ocean marked by the stark whiteness of the snow, standing in sharp relief to the steel gray and blues of the water.
Along the streets of the towns, cars travel in hushed tones, the snow cushioning the sound of their travel and creating a new look for every building and business.
In the forests and along the roads lined with trees, three or four inches of snow have been captured, creating a color palette that is beautiful and nothing like the vibrant greens of spring and summer.
Monday the temperature climb to a more seasonal mid 50s with a little bit of rain and then sunshine, and we’ll return to our usual windy-but-warmish winter weather.
That will be nice too. But for three days, the Outer Banks as a winter wonderland is sn-okay with us.