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{{short description|Cape in North Carolina, United States}}{{For|the lighthouse located on Cape Hatteras|Cape Hatteras Light}}

factoids

| elevation = | area = | references = }}(File:Cape hatteras 1989.jpg|thumb|upright=0.86|Cape Hatteras from space, October 1989. Image orientated with North to the left and East pointing up.)Cape Hatteras {{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|æ|t|ə|r|ə|s}} is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina.As a temperate barrier island, the landscape has been shaped by wind, waves, and storms. There are long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes, and maritime forests in the area. A large area of the Outer Banks is part of a National Park, called the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It is also the nearest landmass on the North American mainland to Bermuda, which is about {{convert|563|nmi|mi km}} to the east-southeast.The treacherous waters off the coast of the Outer Banks are known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Over 600 ships wrecked here as victims of shallow shoals, storms, and war. Diamond Shoals, a bank of shifting sand ridges hidden beneath the turbulent sea off Cape Hatteras, has never promised safe passage for ships. In the past 400 years, the graveyard has claimed many lives, but island villagers saved many. As early as the 1870s, villagers served in the United States Life-Saving Service. Others staffed lighthouses built to guide mariners. Few ships wreck today, but storms still uncover the ruins of the old wrecks that lie along the beaches of the Outer Banks.Cape Hatteras National Seashore protects parts of three barrier islands: Bodie Island, Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Island. Beach and sound access ramps, campgrounds, nature trails, and lighthouses can be found and explored on all three islands.USC 459The community of Buxton lies on the inland side of the Cape itself, at the widest part of Hatteras Island. It is the largest community on the island, and is home to the governmental offices and schools for the island.

Geography

Cape Hatteras lies in the chain of long, thin barrier islands of the Outer Banks, which arch out into the Atlantic Ocean away from the U.S. mainland, then back toward the mainland, creating lagoons and estuaries sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean. It is the site where the two great basins of the East Coast meet.NEWS, Point Well Taken, Heavey, Bill, The Washington Post, June 5, 1996, C9, {{ProQuest, 307904917, }} The cape's shoals are known as Diamond Shoals.

Climate

(File:Hatteras Island damage by Hurricane Isabel.jpg|thumb|An aerial view of where Hurricane Isabel cut inlets into Hatteras Island)Cape Hatteras has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with long, hot summers, and short, mild winters. Most of the area falls into USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 9.WEB,weblink The Arbor Day Foundation, The Arbor Day Foundation, arborday.org, Cape Hatteras is surrounded by water, with Pamlico Sound to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The proximity to water moderates conditions throughout the year, producing cooler summers and warmer winters than inland areas of North Carolina.WEB,weblink Local Climatological Data–Annual Summary with Comparative Data: Cape Hatteras, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, September 30, 2015, The cape is the northern limit of tropical fauna.Elder, Danny and Pernetta, John. (1991). The Random House atlas of the oceans. New York : Random House. p. 124. {{ISBN|9780679408307}}For all narrative below, consult the climate table, showing climate data for the 1991-2020 period. During the summer, average daily highs are in the {{convert|86-87|°F|0}} range, and occasional intense (but usually brief) thundershowers occur. As a result of its proximity to water, temperatures above {{convert|90|°F|0}} are rare, with an average of only 2.3 days annually above {{convert|90|°F|0}}; one or two years out of each decade will not see any 90 Â°F readings. The coolest month, January, has a daily high of {{convert|55.4|°F|1}}, with lows normally well above freezing at {{convert|40.6|°F|1}}. The average window for freezing temperatures is from December 15 to March 6 (allowing a growing season of 283 days), between which there is an average of 16 nights with lows at or below the freezing mark. Extremes in temperature range from {{convert|6|°F|0}} on January 21, 1985 up to {{convert|97|°F|0}} on June 27, 1952.(File:Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) - Cape Hatteras Area,NC (ThreadEx).svg|thumb|right|Climate chart for Cape Hatteras)Snowfall is observed only occasionally, and usually very light, with a median amount of 0. Precipitation, mostly in the form of rain, is over {{convert|61|in}} per year, making Cape Hatteras the wettest coastal location in North Carolina. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. However, April represents a slightly drier month than all others, while August to October are the wettest months. On average, September is the wettest month, owing to lingering summer thunderstorms and maximum frequency of tropical weather systems (hurricanes, tropical storms and tropical depressions) that affect the area with often-heavy to torrential rains, mostly from August to early October.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}Due to its exposed position, Cape Hatteras is virtually the highest-risk area for hurricanes and tropical storms along the entire U.S. eastern seaboard. Cape Hatteras can experience significant wind and/or water damage from tropical systems moving (usually northward or northeastward) near or over North Carolina's Outer Banks, while other areas (i.e. Wilmington, NC or Myrtle Beach and Charleston, SC to the south and Norfolk, VA and Maryland's Eastern Shore to the north) experience much less, minimal or no damage. The Cape Hatteras area is infamous for being frequently struck by hurricanes that move up the East Coast of the United States.{{efn|See for instance P. G. Wodehouse in Over Seventy (1956): "A thing about hurricanes I can never understand is why Cape Hatteras affects them so emotionally. Everything is fine up to there--wind at five miles an hour, practically a dead calm--but the moment a hurricane sees Caper Hatteras it shies like a startled horse and stars blowing a steady 125 m.p.h. hysteria of course, but why?"}} The strike of Hurricane Isabel in 2003 was particularly devastating for the area. Isabel devastated the entire Outer Banks and also split Hatteras Island between the two small towns of Frisco and Hatteras. NC 12, which provides a direct route from Nags Head to Hatteras Island, was washed out when the hurricane created a new inlet. Students had to use a ferry to get to school. The inlet was filled in with sand by the Army Corps of Engineers which took nearly two months to complete. The road, electrical and water lines were quickly rebuilt when the inlet was filled.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}} On September 6, 2019, Hurricane Dorian made landfall at Cape Hatteras.WEB,weblink Hurricane Dorian makes landfall over North Carolina's Cape Hatteras as Category 1 storm, Culver, Jordan, Rodriguez, Adrianna, Miller, Ryan W., September 6, 2019, USA Today, September 6, 2019, {{Weather boxBilly Mitchell Airport), 1991–2020 normals,{{efn>Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.}} extremes 1898–present{{efnHatteras, North Carolina>Hatteras from January 1893 to February 1957, and at Billy Mitchell Airport since March 1957. Snowfall and snow depth records date to 1 January 1908 and 1 January 1948 respectively. For more information, see ThreadEx.}}|single line = Y|Jan record high F = 75|Feb record high F = 76|Mar record high F = 82|Apr record high F = 89|May record high F = 91|Jun record high F = 97|Jul record high F = 96|Aug record high F = 94|Sep record high F = 92|Oct record high F = 89|Nov record high F = 81|Dec record high F = 78|year record high F = 97|Jan avg record high F = 68.8|Feb avg record high F = 68.5|Mar avg record high F = 72.6|Apr avg record high F = 77.7|May avg record high F = 83.9|Jun avg record high F = 89.1|Jul avg record high F = 90.6|Aug avg record high F = 90.2|Sep avg record high F = 87.9|Oct avg record high F = 82.8|Nov avg record high F = 76.4|Dec avg record high F = 71.1|year avg record high F = 91.5|Jan high F = 55.4|Feb high F = 56.7|Mar high F = 61.4|Apr high F = 69.4|May high F = 76.7|Jun high F = 84.0|Jul high F = 87.3|Aug high F = 87.0|Sep high F = 83.0|Oct high F = 75.0|Nov high F = 66.8|Dec high F = 59.3|year high F = 71.8|Jan mean F = 48.0|Feb mean F = 49.1|Mar mean F = 53.8|Apr mean F = 61.8|May mean F = 69.7|Jun mean F = 77.5|Jul mean F = 81.3|Aug mean F = 80.7|Sep mean F = 76.9|Oct mean F = 68.2|Nov mean F = 58.7|Dec mean F = 52.1|year mean F = 64.8|Jan low F = 40.6|Feb low F = 41.5|Mar low F = 46.2|Apr low F = 54.1|May low F = 62.7|Jun low F = 70.9|Jul low F = 75.3|Aug low F = 74.4|Sep low F = 70.8|Oct low F = 61.3|Nov low F = 51.5|Dec low F = 44.9|year low F = 57.8|Jan avg record low F = 24.2|Feb avg record low F = 27.4|Mar avg record low F = 31.7|Apr avg record low F = 40.6|May avg record low F = 49.2|Jun avg record low F = 59.3|Jul avg record low F = 67.0|Aug avg record low F = 65.3|Sep avg record low F = 59.3|Oct avg record low F = 46.2|Nov avg record low F = 36.6|Dec avg record low F = 30.6|year avg record low F = 22.6|Jan record low F = 6|Feb record low F = 11|Mar record low F = 19|Apr record low F = 26|May record low F = 39|Jun record low F = 44|Jul record low F = 52|Aug record low F = 56|Sep record low F = 45|Oct record low F = 32|Nov record low F = 22|Dec record low F = 12|year record low F = 6|precipitation colour = green|Jan precipitation inch = 4.91|Feb precipitation inch = 4.34|Mar precipitation inch = 4.43|Apr precipitation inch = 3.92|May precipitation inch = 4.37|Jun precipitation inch = 4.41|Jul precipitation inch = 5.39|Aug precipitation inch = 6.73|Sep precipitation inch = 7.63|Oct precipitation inch = 5.59|Nov precipitation inch = 4.76|Dec precipitation inch = 4.73|year precipitation inch = 61.21|Jan snow inch = 0.3|Feb snow inch = 0.1|Mar snow inch = 0.0|Apr snow inch = 0.0|May snow inch = 0.0|Jun snow inch = 0.0|Jul snow inch = 0.0|Aug snow inch = 0.0|Sep snow inch = 0.0|Oct snow inch = 0.0|Nov snow inch = 0.0|Dec snow inch = 1.3|year snow inch = 1.7|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in|unit snow days = 0.1 in|Jan precipitation days = 10.9|Feb precipitation days = 10.5|Mar precipitation days = 10.7|Apr precipitation days = 8.9|May precipitation days = 9.1|Jun precipitation days = 10.1|Jul precipitation days = 11.5|Aug precipitation days = 11.8|Sep precipitation days = 11.2|Oct precipitation days = 9.5|Nov precipitation days = 9.8|Dec precipitation days = 11.2|year precipitation days = 125.2|Jan snow days = 0.4|Feb snow days = 0.3|Mar snow days = 0.0|Apr snow days = 0.0|May snow days = 0.0|Jun snow days = 0.0|Jul snow days = 0.0|Aug snow days = 0.0|Sep snow days = 0.0|Oct snow days = 0.0|Nov snow days = 0.0|Dec snow days = 0.3|year snow days = 1.0Jan percentsun = 49Feb percentsun = 53Mar percentsun = 61Apr percentsun = 66May percentsun = 64Jun percentsun = 63Jul percentsun = 64Aug percentsun = 64Sep percentsun = 63Oct percentsun = 59Nov percentsun = 55Dec percentsun = 47|year percentsun = 60|Jan humidity = 75.3|Feb humidity = 74.3|Mar humidity = 74.1|Apr humidity = 72.3|May humidity = 77.3|Jun humidity = 79.0|Jul humidity = 80.9|Aug humidity = 80.6|Sep humidity = 78.5|Oct humidity = 75.8|Nov humidity = 75.1|Dec humidity = 75.1|year humidity =76.5|Jan dew point C = 2.7|Feb dew point C = 3.0|Mar dew point C = 6.1|Apr dew point C = 9.7|May dew point C = 15.1|Jun dew point C = 19.4|Jul dew point C = 22.1|Aug dew point C = 21.9|Sep dew point C = 19.2|Oct dew point C = 13.9|Nov dew point C = 9.3|Dec dew point C = 5.1|source 1 = NOAA (snowfall 1981–2010, relative humidity and sun 1961–1990)WEB,weblink NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, May 5, 2021, WEB,weblink National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Station Name: NC CAPE HATTERAS AP, May 6, 2021, WEB,weblink National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Summary of Monthly Normals 1981–2010, May 6, 2021, WEB,weblink WMO Climate Normals for CAPE HATTERAS, NC 1961–1990, May 27, 2014, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20240518054453weblink">weblink 2024-05-18, }}{{Graph:Weather monthly history|table = Ncei.noaa.gov/weather/Cape Hatteras.tab|title = Cape Hatteras monthly weather statistics}}

History

The name Hatteras is the sixth oldest surviving English place-name in the U.S. An inlet north of the cape was named "Hatrask" in 1585 by Sir Richard Grenville, the admiral leading the Roanoke Colony expedition sent by Sir Walter Raleigh. It was later applied to the island and cape as well, and modified to "Hatteras".BOOK, Names on the Land: a Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States, Stewart, George, George R. Stewart, 1945, Random House, New York, 23, Hatteras is the name of the Hatteras Indians.BOOK,weblink The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, Govt. Print. Off., Gannett, Henry, 1905, 152, Because mariners use ocean currents to speed their journey, many ships venture close to Cape Hatteras when traveling along the eastern seaboard, risking the perils of sailing close to the shoals amid turbulent water and the frequent storms occurring in the area. So many ships have been lost off Cape Hatteras that the area is known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic". Cape Hatteras is also well known for surfing.WEB,weblink The Best 5 Surfing Waves, rodndtube.com, WEB,weblink 10 Best Surf Spots on the East Coast, Made Man, 2012-05-25,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111009024615weblink">weblink 2011-10-09, dead, The first lighthouse at the cape was built in 1803; it was replaced by the current Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in 1870, which at {{convert|198.48|ft|m}} from the ground to the tip of its lightning rod is the tallest lighthouse in the United States and one of the tallest brick lighthouses in the world. In 1999, as the receding shoreline had come dangerously close to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the 4830-ton lighthouse was lifted and moved inland a distance of {{convert|2900|ft|m}}. Its distance from the seashore is now {{convert|1500|ft|m}}, about the same as when it was originally built.The E.M. Clark (shipwreck and remains), Empire Gem (shipwreck and remains), and USS Monitor are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.{{NRISref|version=2010a}}WEB,weblink National Register of Historic Places Listings, 2013-10-18, Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 9/16/13 through 9/30/13, National Park Service, In 1956 the Naval Facility Cape Hatteras, adjacent to the lighthouse, became the eighth of nine shore terminals of the Atlantic Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) operational for over twenty-six years. The antisubmarine ocean surveillance purpose was classified and covered under "oceanographic research" until well after its decommissioning in June 1982.WEB, Integrated Undersea Surveillance System (IUSS) History 1950 - 2010, IUSS/CAESAR Alumni Association,weblink 11 February 2020, WEB, Commander, Undersea Surveillance, Naval Facility Cape Hatteras January 1956 - June 1982, United States Navy,weblink 16 February 2020, By 1963 there were 122 Navy personnel and 180 dependents resident at the facility.BOOK, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Armed Services, Military Construction Authorization, Fiscal Year 1964: Hearings ... Eighty-eighth Congress, First Session, on S. 1101 - H.R. 6500, a Bill Authorizing Certain Construction at Military Installations, and for Other Purposes. September 6, 27, 30, October 1, 2, 3, and 7, 1963,weblink 1963, U.S. Government Printing Office, 288–289,

Awards and recognition

Cape Hatteras has received the following awards:

• Top 10 U.S. Beaches, Travel Channel“Top 10 U.S. Beaches”’’The Travel Channel’’, Retrieved 8 April 2016.
• Top 10 U.S. Beaches for 2016, CNNHetter, Katia. “Dr. Beach names top 10 U.S. beaches for 2015’’’CNN’’, 23 June 2016, Retrieved 8 April 2016.
• America's Top 10 Beaches of 2015, Forbes“America’s Top 10 Beaches of 2015”’’Forbes’’, Retrieved 8 April 2016.

Education

Residents are zoned to Dare County Schools. Zoned schools are Cape Hatteras Elementary School and Cape Hatteras Secondary School.WEB,weblink Attendance Zone Information, Dare County Schools, 2021-04-12, Cape Hatteras Elementary School -- All areas South of the Oregon Inlet Bridge[...]Cape Hatteras Secondary School -- All areas South of the Oregon Inlet Bridge,

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

• National Park Service: Cape Hatteras National Seashore
• Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum
• Nautical chart of Cape Hatteras
• (2003) Monthly wind roses for Cape Hatteras, by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

{{Outer Banks}}{{Authority control}}