"Superstorm" Sandy continues to erode the beach with relentless and sustaining high winds and waves.
The Virginia Beach pier is a good measure of how high the surf has grown over the last few hours. The pier sustained some damage from Hurricane Irene, but at the time of this posting the outer waves of Sandy have left her intact.
Waves off the coast have been reported to be 24', and Virginia Beach has set up Birdneck Elementary School as an emergency shelter.
Two youngsters brace themselves for the high winds and are suited up to fight the biting sand and rain as they pose on a mound erected to support a Christmas light display. The city postponed erecting additional lights and even dismantled some when the storm suddenly posed a threat to coastal Virginia this past week.
Temperatures are registering around 63 degrees, but Tropical Storm winds are reported to be sustaining at a chilly 40+ mph and sting along with droves of sand racing across the ocean front and eroding this normally pristine white beach.
It's rare for this beach to take a direct hit by a hurricane, so as the day wears on, more and more are showing up to watch the power this unusual and historical weather phenomenon is bringing to the Atlantic.
Sandy's giving the newly constructed drainage system in Virginia Beach it's first "real" test.
As the surf rises, so do gas prices the closer one gets to the ocean front. Shortly after 1:00 AM this morning, prices ranged from $3.53 for low test upwards and this station two blocks from oceanfront hit $4.19 a gallon for high test.
The storm is predicted to bring 10+" of rain to this area and grazing this coast early tomorrow afternoon.