Curious shift in ocean currents is having chilling impact on Outer Banks, experts say

Waters off the Outer Banks are feeling a little like the Jersey Shore of late, and forecasters have come up with a rather unexpected reason: A slight shift in ocean currents.

North Carolina’s barrier islands are notorious for being the spot where the northbound Gulf Stream (warm water) crashes into the southbound Labrador Current (cold water).

Infrared Imagery captured Jan. 30 by satellite shows one of the competing tracks has recently moved, according to the coastal National Weather Service Office at Newport/Morehead City.

“The warm Gulf Stream has shifted more east than usual, causing (sea surface temperatures) well below average,” the office said in a tweet.

Temperatures 15 degrees below the norm were recorded by a buoy south of Cape Hatteras, registering 48.4 degrees instead of 63.7 degrees, forecasters say.

A buoy near Duck off the northern Outer Banks had an even lower temperature of just over 45 degrees, data shows.

It’s not clear what exactly caused the shift, but it’s just temporary, forecasters told McClatchy News.

The two currents don’t change directions, but they shift their paths on occasion, forecasters said. The Gulf Stream is also known to speed up and slow down.

Impacts on the N.C. coast can include changes in sea level and wind speeds.

The shift appears to coincide with recent reports of hundreds of cold-stunned sea turtles washing up on North Carolina’s beaches. McClatchy News has reached out to experts about this possible connection and is awaiting a response.

Sea turtles can be temporarily paralyzed when they move quickly from warm water into cold water, which happens more easily where the Gulf Stream and Labrador Current collide, experts say.

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