Curious Cape Cod: On the trail of flooding and erosion after a crazy weekend

WELLFLEET — Is it the end of the world or just another storm? You'll never know, unless you grab a cup of coffee, jump in the car and go on storm patrol. It's the unofficial sport of Cape Codders!

That's how I ended up in the Curious Prius last weekend, when a storm brought flooding that seemed a bit crazier than usual. On Saturday, Jan. 13, we headed out to Duck Harbor in Wellfleet shortly after high tide.

The parking lot was flooded. Beyond the lot, water from Cape Cod Bay was rushing inland, creating a vast salty lake. This locale has been undergoing a rapid transformation: for several years, robust high tides have been surging into the area.

The saltwater intrusion killed dozens of acres of trees and vegetation, and last year, a Cape Cod National Seashore project began clearing away what had become a zombie forest. The project aims to restore a native salt marsh vibe to the area.

So, I was used to the watery and changeable landscape at Duck Harbor. But I had never seen it flooded like this. I started wondering: where is all that water going?

I figured the flooding might reach the back roads between Wellfleet and Truro, so we zoomed over to check it out. Indeed, parts Bound Brook Island Road and Pamet Point Road were under a lot of water. It appeared to me that there was no way to get on or off Bound Brook Island without a boat or a very unpleasant wading session.

I figured the water would recede pretty quickly, but I was wrong. I went back to Pamet Point Road on Sunday afternoon and the road was still flooded. While I was there, I met two people gazing at the epic puddle.

The pair had driven onto Bound Brook Island on Saturday morning for a hike. They had managed to get off the island, but had to leave their car behind because of the rising water. Unfortunately, they needed to get back to Boston, so they were planning to leave their vehicle on the island for a while and rent a car to get back home.

That wasn't the only flooding drama on Bound Brook Island. On Sunday, Wellfleet firefighters helped a Bound Brook Island resident and her dog off the island — by boat!

The fire department published an amazing photo of the rescue on Facebook, showing the two firefighters wading in knee-deep water on Bound Brook Island Road, towing an inflatable craft and its thankful cargo back to civilization. Bravo!

I figured I would try to get a bigger picture of what happened during the storm, so I reached out to the always helpful Linzy French, visual information specialist at the Cape Cod National Seashore. She was kind enough to email this report:

"The park saw some areas of flooding and high water throughout the weekend. Province Lands Bike Trail, Hatches Harbor, and the Duck Harbor area all saw high water from the astronomical high tides. The park experienced bluff erosion primarily at Coast Guard Beach, Nauset Light Beach, and Marconi Beach. The Marconi stairs are still there!"

I was particularly interested in the park's take on the Duck Harbor situation. "While this was the most water that we've seen come through Duck Harbor, this was expected and anticipated as the dune had previously eroded during astronomical high tides in 2021," wrote Linzy. "The area has been observed returning to its former saltwater landscape that existed prior to the diking of the Herring River in 1909."

The takeaway? Well, I guess it isn't the end of the world. I'm going to chalk it up to an unfortunate tango of a powerful storm and beefy high tides. Maybe it's the price of admission for living on splendid Cape Cod: things always change, and stuff keeps slipping and sloshing away.

Eric Williams, when not solving Curious Cape Cod mysteries, writes about a variety of ways to enjoy the Cape, the weather, wildlife and other subjects. Contact him at ewilliams@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X: @capecast.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Curious Cape Cod: Flooding, erosion accompany weekend storm