When folks across the eastern United States hear the term "nor'easter" they typically think of snow. But the recent storm that brushed the region's coast left some thinking of a different word -- sand.
The brunt of the "no-name nor'easter," as some are calling it, focused on the coast of the Carolinas, particularly the Outer Banks.
"For much of the weekend, winds [were] gusting over 60 mph around Cape Hatteras, N.C., fueling massive waves that demolished dunes, exposing homes to the brutal surf," AccuWeather national weather reporter Jonathan Petramala said.
The wind-whipped rain and large, crashing waves pummeled the coastline and left destructive consequences, including areas that were recently slammed by Hurricane Dorian.
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| A car is buried in 4 to 5 feet of sand in Avon, N.C., following a nor'easter last weekend. Photo by Jonathan Petramala/AccuWeather |
The turbulent seas pushed sand well inland, completely destroying some dunes in the process.
In Avon, N.C., a car was buried in about 4-5 feet of sand from one of the dunes, Petramala reported. Nearby, a swimming pool was filled with it.
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| A swimming pool completely filled in by sand, rather than water in Avon, N.C. Photo by Jonathan Petramala/AccuWeather |
"Those waves have closed Highway 12 since Saturday, the only north-south highway here in the Outer Banks, essentially trapping everyone from Rodanthe down into Hatteras and also keeping visitors out," Petramala said.
"People aren't working this week, most of the restaurants are closed, that hurts everybody," Outer Banks resident Robin Mills told AccuWeather.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation painstakingly pushed back against the surf to plow all of the sand off of the highway, which eventually reopened Wednesday afternoon.
However, not all of the sand dunes were destroyed during the nor'easter.
"It's really striking, the section of dune where there's vegetation stayed and those homes were protected. As soon as the vegetation was weaker, that's where these waves really crashed through," Petramala said. "Vegetation is really the key."
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| It's a bit easier to make a basket through this hoop after sand piled up in Buxton, N.C. Photo by Jonathan Petramala/AccuWeather |
"This is the third storm like this to batter the Outer Banks since September, and it's getting expensive because, once again, property owners will need to dig out like they would for a blizzard," Petramala added.
"Except for the blizzard, the snow melts," Mills said.
This parade of storms that has battered the Outer Banks has left some homes in dangerous situations, facing potential destruction from future storms.
"[Homeowners] said just a few years ago, were separated from the ocean by a couple of dunes. Now at certain tides, high tide, they are completely exposed to the water, there's a lot of concern," Petramala said.
"Some of these homes are going to be collapsing into the sea, especially if you have some more of these nor'easters."
AccuWeather chief broadcast meteorologist Bernie Rayno pointed out this may just be the beginning.
"Unfortunately, the weather clock is ticking," he said. "We're getting into the nor'easter time of the year. We've already had one. There's going to be more on the way."
