Two years after a newly formed North Carolina island was lost to storm surge, a new one appears to be rising in its place on the Outer Banks, park officials said.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore said the nearly 100-foot long formation was discovered Sunday, about a quarter of a mile south of Cape Point. It's in the same area where Shelly Island showed up on a NASA satellite in the fall of 2016, officials said.
According to the National Park Service, the sandbar could either continue growing in size or get washed away with the next storm swell.
Park officials are warning beachgoers not to attempt to access the sandbar because of the deep, cold water and dangerously strong currents between it and Cape Point.
Shelly Island gained international attention and attracted tourists from across the country. At least five people who waded to the island had to be rescued after the tide came in, according to news sources.
Shelly Island, so named by tourists for its plentiful seashells, survived for more than two years. It grew to 20 acres and a mile in length before a series of storms cut it in half, then washed it away, news sources reported.