Outer Banks in December: The Weather, What’s Open, and What Changes

The short version

December is the Outer Banks with the volume turned all the way down. The National Weather Service station at Cape Hatteras averages a 59°F high and a 45°F low for the month, the ocean at the Duck research pier slides from the mid 50s to about 50, and the sun sets before 5 pm all month. What you get for that: every beach on the Banks open to a 4x4, no permit season on the Carova beach, 24-hour access on Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the striped bass run in the surf, the first storm-tossed shells of winter, and houses on off-season rates. Two dates matter: December 17, when Wright Brothers National Memorial marks the anniversary of the first flight, and December 31, the last day the Hatteras–Ocracoke ferry is free.

The caveat is the nor’easter. A December blow runs harder and colder than October’s, puts ocean overwash on NC 12 on Hatteras Island and can close the ramps for a day or two. Give a beach trip a two-day window and take the calm day when it comes.

December weather

The numbers, from the Cape Hatteras weather station’s 1991–2020 normals and NOAA’s ocean gauge at Duck:

• Air: average high 59°F, average low 45°F. The ocean keeps the Banks milder than the mainland, so afternoons in the 60s are routine and hard freezes are rare. The wind is the number to check: a northwest blow behind a front is what makes a December beach feel cold, not the thermometer.
• Rain: about 4.7 inches for the month, most of it in frontal systems that pass in a day.
• Ocean: mid 50s at the start of the month, right around 50 by New Year’s Eve (Duck readings, 2023–2025). Surfers are in full winter suits; anglers wade in waders. Live readings by town are on the water temperature page.
• Daylight: the shortest days of the year. Sunset is about 4:48 pm in the first week of December and only 4:58 pm on the 31st; sunrise is around 7 am. Plan the beach for the middle of the day and the sunset for the sound side.
• Wind and storms: December nor’easters are the ones that reshape the beach. They also deliver the shells — the winter shelling guide has the mornings to walk after a blow. Live conditions by town are on the weather page.

What changes in December

• Every beach is open to a 4x4. Cape Hatteras National Seashore is on 24-hour access with the National Park Service ORV permit; Nags Head and Kill Devil Hills allow beach driving through April 30 with a town permit (Kitty Hawk and Southern Shores do not allow it at all); and the Carova beach needs no parking permit until May 8, 2027. The 4x4 beach access map shows every area.
• The ferry is free for one more month. The Hatteras–Ocracoke ferry runs year-round on its off-season timetable, first come, first served, and is free through December 31. Tolls begin January 1, 2027 under the state budget. The ferry guide has the routes and the mainland alternatives from Swan Quarter and Cedar Island.
• Lighthouses are closed for climbing. Currituck Beach Lighthouse’s season ended November 30, Bodie Island’s in October, and Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is closed for all of 2026 for restoration. The grounds and the views are still there, and the lighthouse guide covers what you can see from outside.
• The horses are still out. The Corolla herd is on the beach and the sand roads year-round, and December is one of the easiest months to find them with nobody else on the beach. The wild horses guide covers where to look and the rules.
• Fishing. The striped bass run continues, and December has produced some of the biggest surf-caught stripers of the year on the Banks. Our December surf fishing guide covers the month.
• What’s open. Wright Brothers National Memorial (9 am to 5 pm, closed Christmas Day), Jockey’s Ridge (8 am to 6 pm, closed Christmas Day) and the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island (9 am to 5 pm, closed Christmas Day) run all month. Many restaurants and shops are on winter hours, and some close for January after the holidays; call before you drive out, especially on Hatteras and Ocracoke.

Four dates in December

• Wings Over Water Encore, December 4–6. The winter weekend of the wildlife festival: guided birding and photography trips on the national wildlife refuges of northeastern North Carolina, Pea Island among them, when the wintering swans and geese are in. You register by the trip.
• WinterLights at the Elizabethan Gardens, select nights through December 29, 6 to 9 pm, in Manteo. The garden is lit end to end; tickets are sold online and at the gate, and the Gardens recommend buying ahead. The first weekend of December is also when Manteo lights its waterfront tree and Duck lights its crab-pot tree in Town Park.
• Wright Brothers Day, December 17. Wright Brothers National Memorial marks the anniversary of the 1903 flight with a morning ceremony at the monument; in recent years the park has waived its entrance fee for the day. Check the park’s site for the 2026 program.
• December 31. Manteo’s waterfront New Year’s Eve, and the last day of the free Hatteras–Ocracoke ferry.

Month by month: March · April · October · November · the whole year

Frequently asked questions