SnowStorm Transforms the Look of Outer Banks
Beach scene in Kitty Hawk after January snowstorm.The year 2018 has certainly come in like a lion. The winter storm that brushed the Outer Banks gave us a good shot of snow and has left some frigid temperatures in its wake.
And it looks as though we're going to be in the deep freeze for at least the next three days.
Compared to other areas, there really isn't all that much to complain about. Official snowfall figures are tough to come by for many of the Outer Banks towns but using the snow piled on top of the car measure 5" seems about right.
Farther north, in Corolla, there's no doubt more snow fell, but we haven't had a chance to check that out for ourselves yet. The roads have been covered in snow and ice all day. Hopefully tomorrow we'll get a look.
As the precipitation changed from rain to snow we did have some lightning, but that was about three or four in the morning so a lot of us slept through it.
The Outer Banks is transformed after a snow storm like what we just experienced. The snow seems to creep down the dune, thinning out as it gets closer to the beach and the salt spray of the waves.
With a north wind howling, seabirds and waterfowl shelter on the sound side, and looking out at sheltered waters like Kitty Hawk Bay there are 100s if not 1000s of various birds floating in the waters or perched on ice floes.
The look of the trees is perhaps the most startling change in appearance. Laden with snow, the trees and tree limbs have a graceful bend to them.Holly trees seem like something from a Christmas card, the berries intense red nestled among the green of the leaves and white of the snow
There won't be much melting until Monday, so there's still some time to enjoy a rare—if very cold—treat on the Outer Banks.
