Outer Banks Hurricanes - Are August and September a bad time to go?

Question

I just want to get a feel for the best time to plan my family trip to OBX - I know that technically the hurricane season is June 1 to November 30, but I don't know what that means. Should I forget about going during that whole period? I'd really like to go for a week just before labor day and was wondering if that's the "height" of hurricane weather - or if there's even a way to guess.

Any insights?

Answer 1

We go to the Outer Banks every year and have been for the last 18 years and have yet to get caught or evacuated due to a hurricane.  We have come close a couple times (week before or week after).  

Here is a great website that you can see what storms hit and a chart of what month they are most heavy and how often.  But at the same time, Hurricanes can happen at anytime.  They aren't frequent, so don't plan your vacation around when one might hit.  Plan it, enjoy it, and if you can, get travel insurance so that if something does happen like a hurricane, you can get your rental money back.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nor...

Answer 2

Unfortunately they can't predict hurricanes much better than that.  Don't worry, chances are low that you'll be there when there's a hurricane.

Answer 3

Outer Bank hurricanes do happen more in the mid-hurricane season, like late August and September. So you may be taking a chance. But sometimes, the hurricane season could be uneventful.