Four Outer Banks homes fall into ocean after historic snow storm, NC park says

The record-setting snow storm that hit North Carolina over the weekend sent four homes crashing into the ocean on the Outer Banks, according to the National Park Service.

All four were in Buxton, which has seen more than a 15 homes collapse into the Atlantic since September 2025.

The first of the houses to fall was at 46201 Tower Circle Road, and it drifted into the ocean early Sunday morning, Cape Hatteras National Seashore reported in a news release

Two additional homes fell before dawn Monday, and a fourth fell around 9 a.m. Monday, the park reported in a series of news releases.

All four were unoccupied and privately owned, officials said.

The homes fell in the aftermath of a snow storm that included high surf advisories of “2 to 4 feet” and 50 mph gusts. As much as 18 inches of snow fell in some communities near the coast.

In all, 31 privately-owned homes have collapsed on the Outer Banks since 2020, most of them in Buxton and Rodanthe. In September 2025, six collapsed in one day, all of them on Cottage Avenue and Tower Circle Road, the National Park Service said.

The collapses are due to beach erosion and rising sea levels, resulting in homes being left at the mercy of wind and waves, officials say.

Debris from collapsed beach homes is known to drift for miles along the coast, and often washes up at Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The nails, broken wood and metal shards create dangers for beachgoers.

“Cape Hatteras National Seashore advises everyone to stay away from the collapse sites and the surrounding beach area, due to potentially hazardous debris. The beach is closed in front of the entire village of Buxton,” the park said.

Buxton is about a 240-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.

This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 9:22 AM with the headline "Four Outer Banks homes fall into ocean after historic snow storm, NC park says."