Latest Marine Discussion:

.MARINE... West to northwest wind gusts will decrease readily this evening, then shift to the northeast to southeast tonight through Saturday morning as high pressure drifts into the Atlantic. An increase in south/southeast flow is likely Saturday, but the onset of SCA conditions is somewhat unclear. There is evidence of a strong stable layer just above the surface, and the air may be a bit warmer than the water. However, favorable channeling and an increasing background gradient/wind field may compensate resulting in gusts developing by mid afternoon, especially for favored areas of the mid tidal Potomac River/mid Chesapeake Bay. After a brief lull over most of the waters (except perhaps off southern MD) late Saturday night, winds will shift to the NW and quickly become gusty as a strong cold front crosses early Sunday morning. Gale-force gusts are quite possible with 30-40 kts in the mixed-layer amid cold advection and strong pressure rises. However, the most favorable window for gusts may be brief (less than 3 hours, i.e. in the SMW vs. Gale Warning realm). Have therefore held off on a Gale Watch. It will be breezy nonetheless Sunday into Sunday night, likely right on into early next week. Small Craft Advisories are likely on Monday as northwest winds gust up to 20 knots in the wake of the cold front. Winds shift to southerly and diminish to below SCA criteria overnight through Tuesday morning. South winds gust near 20 knots Tuesday night with additional SCAs possible. Update as of: 201 PM EDT Fri Apr 17 2026