North Carolina beaches thin out ahead of tropical weather
RODANTHE, N.C. — Crowds thinned Tuesday on the beaches of North Carolina’s Outer Banks ahead of a tropical weather system that threatened to bring strong winds and heavy rains that could flood low-lying areas.
Elsewhere, a powerful hurricane threatened to pass “dangerously close” to Hawaii, and a hurricane watch was issued for parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast because of a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico.
On North Carolina’s Hatteras Island, a slow stream of dozens of cars from places including Maryland, New York and Ohio headed north toward a bridge to the mainland — but other vacationers stayed and some surfers dove in for taller waves. Several Outer Banks businesses reported cancellations and slower foot traffic.
Some beaches were all but empty. Near Rodanthe, a couple and their 11-year-old son had the shore to themselves for a morning stroll. Joe and Kelley Walker of Markham, Virginia, said their family plans to wait out the rain with movies or card games.