BUXTON, NC. – Four Outer Banks beachfront homes have collapsed within the first two days of February, following a nor’easter that battered the region with not only snow, but intense wind gusts, high surf, and coastal flooding over the weekend.
MUST-SEE MOMENTS: HISTORIC NOR’EASTER SLAMS CAROLINA COAST AND SHATTERS SNOW RECORDS
Video captured on Sunday, Feb. 1, and Monday, Feb. 2, shows one home collapsing into the rough surf.
The footage highlights the intensity of the storm, with howling gusts and the sound of the structure creaking moments before it gave way.
The storm produced wind gusts of 60–70 mph, whipping heavy snow across the region and leaving debris from collapsed homes scattered along the coastline.
The National Park Services (NPS) said certain homes in the villages of Buxton and Rodanthe are now in an intertidal zone – an area that is exposed during low tide, but partially covered by water during high tide. Many of these homes were previously on completely dry dunes.
Hunter Hicks, the man who witnessed a home collapse in Buxton, NC joins FOX Weather to talk about what he saw while standing in front of another Outer Banks home that he says is getting ready to fall due to the rough surf. Stay with FOX Weather for the latest:
Beachfront properties in the Carolinas are all too familiar with this scenario, as the region has been battling beach erosion for decades.
Since 2020, 27 privately owned North Carolina beachfront homes collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean, including 16 in Rodanthe and Buxton, alone, highlighting the ongoing vulnerability of the Outer Banks to storms and coastal erosion.
FOX Weather Storm Specialist Mike Seidel was in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina over the weekend amid a powerful nor’easter ‘bomb cyclone’ that brought historic snow across the region.
Seidel reported in blizzard-like conditions, sharing that this storm rivaled the most intense storms that he has experienced in his more than three-decade career covering extreme weather.
FOX Weather Storm Specialist battered by bomb cyclone nor’easter along North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.
(FOX Weather / FOX Weather)
Coastal and central parts of North Carolina saw 12–18 inches of snow.
Snow coats the sand in Myrtle Beach, SC from a powerful nor’easter that slammed the Carolinas.
(Brandy Campbell / FOX Weather)
This strong storm brought reports of waves reaching around 20 feet, according to the National Weather Service, and High Surf Advisories were issued for portions of the region, adding to erosion issues.
PHOTOS: MASSIVE DEBRIS PILES ALONG OUTER BANKS AFTER 9 HOMES CRUMBLE FROM ROUGH SURF
FOX Weather was on the ground in Buxton on Oct. 2, reporting on several homes that collapsed from coastal erosion. Between September to October, over a dozen crumbled.
FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne reacts to another home falling into the ocean in Buxton, North Carolina. This is the 8th home to collapse in just a few days.
(FOX Weather)
FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne was preparing for a live shot on the beach when a home she had been closely monitoring began cracking behind her, before giving way and smacking into the ocean.
Coastal erosion along the beaches remains a persistent challenge for the Carolinas.
The NPS has continued a beach safety closure from Buxton Village to near Ramp 43, stating that “The entire beachfront from the north end of the village of Buxton to near ORV ramp 43 is closed to public entry due to damages to dozens of houses and associated septic systems caused by coastal storm impacts.”
