Rain, strong wind, high surf and erosion continue along the Outer Banks due to a nor'easter lingering along the coast. It's expected to continue through the start of the week.
Parts of N.C. Highway 12 are closed due to overwash on Sunday, and winds have been gusting between 40 mph and 55 mph.
Other WRAL Top Stories
The North Carolina Department of Transportation posted that N.C. Highway 12 is closed on Hatteras and Ocracoke. Crews will work until Sunday night and Monday morning to get it reopened, the NCDOT said.
Among the closed sections of N.C. 12 is the area from Marc Basnight Bridge to Rodanthe, where a dune was breached and the highway is covered in water. The N.C. Ferry System posted a photo of a pickup truck trying to drive through the flooding.
This combination of rain, overwash and winds puts more homes at risk of tumbling into the ocean.
High tide at the coast was around 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
The National Weather Service warned property owners and visitors to the Outer Banks that ocean overwash and floating debris could present a hazard to travel up and down the barrier islands.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore posted a warning on Sunday:
"Flooding caused by ocean overwash and water seeping through dune structures will make travel at Cape Hatteras National Seashore extremely hazardous later this morning and into the afternoon."
While none have fallen in yet, many in the coastal community of Buxton and Rodanthe are concerned that homes will fall into the ocean. Since Sept. 29, nine homes have been washed away due to beach erosion caused by coastal flooding, eight of which were in Buxton.
Dare County officials are also warning about debris still in the water from the collapses.
Offshore, dangerous and potentially life-threatening rip currents are expected into next week. Ocean swimming is banned at all ocean beaches from Duck to Ocracoke.
While the nor'easter likely won't be a named storm, it will behave very similarly to tropical systems. The only difference between a nor'easter and a tropical system is the structure of their core. A nor'easter has a cold core, while a tropical system has a warm core. That's it.
The WRAL Severe Weather Center is forecasting temperatures in the 70s throughout the weekend for the Outer Banks.

