As Hurricane Earl heads northwest through the Atlantic, officials are unsure of its impact on the Outer Banks.

The latest reports project Earl nearing the Outer Banks late Thursday/early Friday – passing about 70 miles off the coast. This would bring high winds, possibly hurricane force winds, heavy rain, beach erosion and moderate sound side flooding. Weather conditions will deteriorate this evening as the storm approaches.

A Hurricane Warning has been issued for all of Dare County and the North Carolina Coast from north of Surf City to Virginia, including the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. A hurricane warning indicates that sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or higher are expected in 24 hours or less. Warnings can remain in effect when dangerously high water or waves exist even though winds may be less than hurricane force.

The Dare County Control Group has issued a mandatory evacuation for all visitors throughout the entire County effective 6:00 am Thursday, September 2.

Dare County Emergency Management is closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane Earl and urges all residents and visitors to take necessary precautions for possible hurricane force winds as the storm is expected to pass approximately 80 miles off the Outer Banks early Friday morning. Bulletins will be issued as needed and available at www.darenc.com.

• Dare County Emergency Management Bulletins

Earl Links: Public Advisory | Forecast | Tracking

Other Popular Weather Resources

• National Weather Service Homepage
• National Weather Service – National Hurricane Center
• Currituck County: Hurricane Preparedness
• Dare County: Typical Storm Questions and Answers
• North Carolina Department of Transportation
• Weather.com: Hurricane Earl News Ticker

Current Weather Conditions

• Corolla
• Duck & Kitty Hawk
• Kill Devil Hills
• Nags Head
• Manteo
• Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Current Storm Activities

Hurricane Earl – Updated Wednesday, 9/1, 10:30AM

As Hurricane Earl heads northwest through the Atlantic, officials are unsure of its impact on the Outer Banks.

The latest reports project Earl nearing the Outer Banks late Thursday/early Friday – passing about 80 miles off the coast. This would bring high winds, possibly hurricane force winds, heavy rain, beach erosion and moderate sound side flooding.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for all of Dare County and the North Carolina Coast from north of Surf City to Virginia, including the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. A hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the next 36 hours.

Dare County Emergency Management is closely monitoring the progress of Hurricane Earl and urges all residents and visitors to take necessary precautions for possible hurricane force winds as the storm is expected to pass approximately 80 miles off the Outer Banks early Friday morning. Bulletins will be issued as needed and available at www.darenc.com.

• Dare County Emergency Management Bulletins

Earl Links: Public Advisory | Forecast | Tracking

Other Popular Weather Resources

• National Weather Service Homepage
• National Weather Service – National Hurricane Center
• Currituck County: Hurricane Preparedness
• Dare County: Typical Storm Questions and Answers
• North Carolina Department of Transportation
• Weather.com: Hurricane Earl News Ticker

Current Weather Conditions

• Corolla
• Duck & Kitty Hawk
• Kill Devil Hills
• Nags Head
• Manteo
• Cape Hatteras National Seashore

Great Outer Banks Surf

Earlier this year, National Geographic chose the Outer Banks to be included on its list of “Drives of a Lifetime,” and now the OBX has landed on N.G.’s list of the Top 100 American Adventures.

Here’s piece of the praise for the OBX:

“North Carolina’s Outer Banks represent what the eastern seaboard used to look like before all the development and jetties. Left to the whims of the wind and tide, the barrier islands and their dunes change shape from year to year. That makes for an ideal place for beach sports ranging from surfing to striper fishing.”

You can read the full article here.

Wind Turbine

Duke Energy has been working towards a wind farm along the Outer Banks.  The initial plan called for a pilot program in conjunction with UNC Chapel Hill to build three wind turbines in the Sound, but Duke Energy has decided it will not build the three wind turbines in Pamlico Sound as a pilot project..

The costs of the small pilot project were too steep. Duke had estimated the costs at $35 million. But it now believes the costs would be closer to $116 million to build three turbines.

Duke Energy feels the economies of scale still argue that building a large number of offshore turbines would be economically feasible for developers. The problem with the small project is that the utility cannot sufficiently defray the design, permitting and other fixed costs with only three turbines.

Duke Energy does not consider this a failure.

The project has already proved that the best place for building such turbines would be on the ocean side of the Outer Banks.  Duke Energy feels that Pamilco Sound is too shallow for the barges that would be required for construction of the offshore turbines. And the greater wind resources in North Carolina are clearly on the ocean side of the Outer Banks.

This may seem like a step back, but Duke Energy is still committed to the wind farm and has increased its investment in UNC Chapel Hill’s study of offshore wind power for North Carolina to $4 million, a $400,000 increase.

Outer Banks Sunset

The Gulf oil spill has been a national concern for weeks, and now that the well has been capped, some more positive news is beginning to develop.

Outer Banks enthusiasts can start to breathe a little easier knowing that indicators are beginning to demonstrate oil on the OBX is unlikely.

North Carolina State University associate professor Roy He, an expert on marine sciences and coastal circulation, says it is unlikely that oil from the Gulf spill will make its way to the East Coast….and the Outer Banks.

The Virginia Pilot is reporting that Professor He said the chances are low because the damaged oil well is capped, the oil is undergoing continuous dilution and degradation, and large amounts of oil have not been seen in the Loop Current, which has the potential to carry the oil around Florida and up the Eastern Seaboard.

Outer Banks Shipwreck 2010

On Tuesday, July 20, what is believed to be the oldest shipwreck to be discovered in North Carolina slowly meandered its 7.5-ton, 17-foot-wide by 37-foot-long body along the Outer Banks’ Rt. 12 towards its new home at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras Village.

The wreckage was discovered on the beach in Corolla in late 2009, excavated in April 2010, and it has been temporarily stored at on the ground of the Currituck Lighthouse in preparation for its big move.  The ship’s remains were loaded onto a flatbed trailer on Monday, and it set out on its journey south just after midnight on Tuesday morning.  A full entourage accompanied the ship on its journey – a police escort, museum directors, members of the Park Service.

Despite some stormy weather, the ship completed the 90 mile trip and arrived at its final resting place around 4 AM.

Here’s a great slideshow of the ship and its journey.

To beach combers’ delight, pieces of the shipwreck are still showing up on the Corolla beaches.

Lowe's Logo

The Outer Banks Voice is reporting today that Lowe’s, the home improvement “mega store,” recently submitted a site plan for a store in Kill Devil Hills.

The plan calls for a 158,000-square-foot store on the “highway” between West 1^st St. and West Landing Drive.  The area is already zoned commercial, so the approval process could be as straight-forward as a site plan approval, but it’s too early to tell.

The pictures show wreckage from a major hurricane in 1899, and some have never been seen by local OBX historians.  Luckily, many of the photos contain hand-written captions describing the scene.  One of the photos shows a shipwreck washed ashore, and others display the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and Hatteras Village.

If you have any old OBX pictures, the Outer Banks History Center would love to see them.

Bonner Bridge on the Outer Banks

A new bridge to replace the failing Bonner Bridge on the Outer Banks is running into the potential for further delays.

The 2.5 mile Bonner Bridge linking northern Outer Banks to Hatteras Island opened in 1963 and was designed to last 30 years; quick math ends the lifespan in 1993…17 years ago!  Over the years, the bridge has been battered by strong currents, even stronger storms and damaging saltwater.  The structure is in need of replacement, but the approval process has been slow, to say the least.

The bridge is currently rated poor, but the state has spent millions for repairs to keep the span safe until it is replaced.  However, even these repairs have a lifespan that ends around 2017.

Planning for the replacement began 20 years ago, but the project has been slowed by environmental challenges, government agency disagreements, controversy about the design, and threats of lawsuits.  An environmental assessment was released in May, and most people have assumed the planning marathon was nearing the end and the construction would start soon.  But those assumptions are being called into question after a recent public hearing.

Transportation officials are hesitant to commit to a timeline before reviewing all of the comments on the current Environmental Assessment to determine whether there are any significant changes from the previously–approved plan. If there are changes, another supplement to the environmental plan would be required, which would then require additional public review period before recording a final decision.

Some comments submitted by environmental groups have indicated that impacts have changed significantly and that an important environmental review in the plan is flawed.  This seems to lead to the potential for further environmental assessment…and more delays.

HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENTS

If you missed the public hearings, you can still submit comments until Aug. 9.

Citizens who did not speak at the meetings but would like to provide comments can mail them to Drew Joyner, Human Environment Unit Head, NCDOT, 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1598. They may also call or e-mail their comments to Drew Joyner at (919) 431-6700 or djoyner@ncdot.gov.

NCDOT, the Federal Highway Administration, and other agencies will review the comments received and then determine if additional environmental studies are needed.

To read the Environmental Assessment and view the project maps, visit the NCDOT Web site or the Outer Banks Task Force Web site.

Outer Banks Sunset

Bing (as in the Microsoft search engine) Travel is featured on MSN.com today with its list of “Awesome Vacations in All 50 States,” and the Outer Banks is highlighted for North Carolina.

Here’s what Bing Travel has to say about the OBX:

50 Awesome Vacations: North Carolina

The Outer Banks are a 200-mile-long string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. The Wright brothers’ first flight in a powered, heavier-than-air vehicle took place in 1903 on the Outer Banks, at Kill Devil Hills near the seafront town of Kitty Hawk. Explore these islands by renting a beach house.

Great vacation rental homes still available:  www.OuterBanksVacations.com