Outer Banks getting high winds, flooding

A high wind warning was in effect for parts of the Outer Banks until early Thursday morning and a coastal flood warning until the afternoon.

Officials were waiting to see the conditions in the morning before deciding whether schools, roads and ferry services would be reopened or resumed.

Wind speeds reached 35 to 40 mph with gusts of 55 to 60 mph Wednesday. Water was pushed onto N.C. 12, Colington Road and the causeway from Manteo to Nags Head, making some portions nearly impassable, said Dorothy Toolan, Dare County spokeswoman.

By the evening, N.C. 12 from Oregon Inlet to Rodanthe was closed.

Ferry service between Hatteras Village and Ocracoke was canceled and could be suspended until the morning.

“It’s just kind of a wait-and-see situation,” Toolan said.