Hurricane Bill Huffs And Puffs, But Doesn't Blow Much Down

August 24, 2009 at 8:37 AM | by kjb | 0 Comments

We were finishing off some time on the Outer Banks of North Carolina when Hurricane Bill decided to blow by the beaches these last few days. Although it definitely stirred things up and limited our sun intake over the weekend, we didn�t see any direct damage overall. However, we did notice some lifeguards downing a couple cheeseburgers now that the no swimming flags were doing their jobs for them.

A trip into the waves on Thursday evening off Cape Hatteras resulted in an immediate face plant into the sand. Friday brought out the riptide warnings and the surfers, and by Saturday we knew better than to venture out into the water. We didn't have our tape measures with us, but we'd say the waves approached ten feet. Instead we spent most of the afternoon on the land, perusing shops perfectly suited for grandparents.

Before the hurricane moved up the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, it decided to breeze by Bermuda for some souvenirs. Island-based writer David LaHuta was all over the storm coverage and shared some of his experiences on his Bermuda Shorts blog:

Long lines of waves were crashing in, chest-high rollers my surfer buddies back home would�ve loved to paddle out in (see above). It�s crazy. On any given day that bay is totally flat. We�ve had ominous thunderstorms too�deep clangs from dark clouds that seem to shake the Earth.

Although Bill has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, he didn't go peacefully; the storm claimed two lives. One victim was a young girl that was swept off a rocky ledge after a wave came crashing ashore at Acadia National Park in Maine. This is just the beginning of a long Atlantic hurricane season that doesn�t stop until the end of November, so stay tuned.

Related Stories:
· Bill Weakens To Tropical Storm [CNN]
· Bermuda Shorts [Official Site]
· Hurricanes coverage [Jaunted]

[Photos: Jaunted]

Jaunted

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Tags: Hurricanes / Tropical Storms / Caribbean Travel / Outer Banks / → All Tags