Beach vacationers surprised by snow — and wind chills in 20s — on the Outer Banks

Snow fell early Thursday on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, creating a surreal scene of sea winds scouring beaches with snow flakes and sand.

The flurries came as part of a storm that crossed the state overnight, bringing 5 inches of snow to some eastern counties before crossing over the Outer Banks just before dawn.

Snowfall totals on the barrier islands included nearly an inch at Southern Shores and about a half inch in Duck and Kitty Hawk. Snow also fell in Buxton, Nags Head and Ocracoke, but accumulation was slight, the National Weather Service said.

Images of the snow began appearing just after dawn on social media, including video from the top of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse.

“Well this is certainly a switch! Snow is blowing down the beach,” Tammy Clotfelter Koontz posted on a Facebook page dedicated to the Outer Banks.

“We came down here from Pennsylvania to get away from the snow and cold! Even so, it is still absolutely gorgeous! We love it,” she told McClatchy News.

Some locals were admittedly dumbfounded, noting the sight of snow piling against sea grass “looks so weird.” But the majority exhibited a sense of humor, with Corolla Beach Music sharing a snow photo on Facebook and informing 44,000 followers: “Yes, it can snow on the Outer Banks.”

There were also plenty of jokes about swimming in the snow, and one guy apparently couldn’t resist photoshopping a polar bear family into a photo of the snow in Kill Devil Hills.

It marked the first time some of the wild horses roaming the Outer Banks had seen snow and they were “pretty fascinated” by the taste and feel of it, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund reported.

Nags Head town officials said the wintry mix came with wind gusts of more than 50 mph and “angry surf.” Making matters worse, wind chills were in the 20s and 30s, according to the National Weather Service.

It’s possible the coast could get another round of snow late Saturday into Sunday, forecasters say. No accumulation is expected, however.

This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Beach vacationers surprised by snow — and wind chills in 20s — on the Outer Banks."