The run of above-normal air temperatures the last several weeks has got everyone feeling its more like late spring and not the dead of winter on the Outer Banks.
And that includes the Corolla wild horses.
Daniel T. Myers, III, came upon a small group of the herd Sunday night that decided to try and bed down on the beach around Currituck mile post 19.
“Please be careful!” the Corolla Wild Horse Fund posted on their Facebook page. The group manages the roughly 100 wild mustangs that roam the four-wheel drive area of the Currituck Outer Banks.
“We don’t normally expect to see horses on the beach this time of year but the unseasonably warm weather has them acting more like it’s June, not January.”
Myers said he stopped his truck and turned his hazards on to warn other drivers on the beach, which is the only way for residents and visitors to reach the area’s north of Corolla.
And there are usually only a few vehicles making the trip this time of year, and most of them are locals well aware of how the horses can come out of nowhere.
Record highs have been matched or broken over the past couple of days in eastern North Carolina, and the trend is expected to continue through mid-week before more seasonal temperatures return.