The Outer Banks is known for its natural beauty. The remote location, miles of soft, sandy beaches and laid-back lifestyle beckons you to spend a week, or a lifetime, on its shores. This area is deeply connected to nature and with that comes the need to appreciate the ebb and flow of weather and how it affects Outer Banks living.
 
Easterly winds bring the Gulf Stream’s warm, turquoise waters closer to shore. A west wind cools the water and may bring flies from the mainland marshes to the ocean beaches. The wind direction during a storm will dictate whether oceanfront or soundfront properties should be aware. Dunes eroded by heavy winds in fall are often built backup by the following summer.
 
Hurricanes and nor’easters make the biggest impact. Hurricanes pack a punch with the warm, energy-filled air they carry from the equator but are easier to predict and typically pass within 6 – 8 hours. Nor’easters result from the collision of low and high pressure systems which produce on-shore winds, heavy waves and wind-driven rain. Oftentimes nor’easters are slow-moving and if they coincide with a full moon the high tides and erosion worsen.
 
The two biggest storms to impact the Outer Banks were the 1933 Outer Banks Hurricane and the Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962 (a nor’easter). Watch as a long-time Corolla resident and waterman shares his stories in the following video.

• Nor'Easter 2009