What's on in Outer Banks (OBX), United States through the year

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Nor'easter and overwash season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Nor'easter and overwash season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Nor'easter and overwash season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Opening

  Lighthouse climbing season

  17 Apr – 12 Oct · usuallySummer season opens

  The seashore's towers open for climbs from the third Friday in April to Columbus Day, tickets timed and limited. Which towers are climbable changes with whatever restoration is underway. Source ↗

Still on: Nor'easter and overwash season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Rental season peak

• Nature

  Sea turtle nesting

  1 May – 15 Nov

  Loggerheads crawl up the banks from May to August and rangers stake out every nest; hatchings run into mid-November. Beach driving and beach fires get restricted around the marked nests. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Rental season peak

  23 May – 7 Sep · usuallySchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  Memorial Day to Labor Day, when the cottages rent by the week and everyone changes over on the same Saturday. The single road down the banks backs up for hours on those mornings. Source ↗

Still on: Lighthouse climbing season (17 Apr – 12 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — Rental season peak, Summer break in United States

• Hazard

  Hurricane season

  1 Jun – 30 Nov

  The Atlantic season runs June to November and peaks from mid-August to mid-October. A barrier island evacuates early, so the order can come a day or two before anything is visible from the porch. Source ↗

Still on: Lighthouse climbing season (17 Apr – 12 Oct (usually)), Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 15 Nov), Rental season peak (23 May – 7 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Rental season peak, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Lighthouse climbing season (17 Apr – 12 Oct (usually)), Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 15 Nov), Rental season peak (23 May – 7 Sep (usually)), Hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Peak crowds — Rental season peak, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Lighthouse climbing season (17 Apr – 12 Oct (usually)), Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 15 Nov), Rental season peak (23 May – 7 Sep (usually)), Hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Peak crowds — Rental season peak, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Lighthouse climbing season (17 Apr – 12 Oct (usually)), Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 15 Nov), Rental season peak (23 May – 7 Sep (usually)), Hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Nor'easter and overwash season

  15 Oct – 15 Apr · usuallyWind seasonClosures

  Autumn and winter coastal storms push sand and water across NC-12 at Pea Island and north of Buxton, and the road shuts until the ploughs clear it. Ferries to Ocracoke stop in the same weather. Source ↗

Still on: Lighthouse climbing season (17 Apr – 12 Oct (usually)), Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 15 Nov), Hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 15 Nov), Hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Nor'easter and overwash season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  First Flight anniversary

  17 DecMajor festival

  A wreath ceremony and flyover at Kill Devil Hills on 17 December, the date the Wrights flew in 1903. It is cold, windy and small, which is roughly what that morning was. Source ↗

Still on: Nor'easter and overwash season (15 Oct – 15 Apr (usually))