Albemarle Sound Marine Forecast
| Today...N Winds 15 To 20 Kt With Gusts Up To 25 Kt. Waves Around 2 Ft. |
| Tonight...N Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Becoming Nw Around 5 Kt After Midnight. Waves Around 2 Ft In The Evening, Then 1 Ft. Patchy Fog After Midnight. |
| Tue...Sw Winds Around 5 Kt. Waves 1 Ft Or Less. Patchy Fog In The Morning. |
| Tue Night...S Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Waves 1 Ft Or Less. |
| Wed...Sw Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Increasing To 15 To 20 Kt In The Afternoon. Waves Around 2 Ft. |
| Wed Night...Sw Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Waves Around 2 Ft. |
| Thu...Sw Winds Around 10 Kt, Becoming Se In The Afternoon. Waves 1 Ft Or Less. A Chance Of Rain. |
| Thu Night...E Winds Around 10 Kt. Waves 1 Ft Or Less. A Chance Of Rain. |
| Fri...S Winds Around 10 Kt, Becoming Sw In The Afternoon. Waves 1 Ft Or Less. A Chance Of Rain. |
| Fri Night...W Winds Around 10 Kt. Waves 1 Ft Or Less. A Chance Of Rain. |
| Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wakefield VA 555am EST Monday Feb 16 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... Precipitation ends a little earlier this morning, with most areas outside of the coast now mostly dry. Thursday has trended cooler along the coast with a potential (weak) backdoor cold front. .KEY MESSAGES... 1) Rain and drizzle tapers off early this morning, but lingering cloud cover keeps temperatures cool today. 2) Above average temperatures prevail from Tuesday-Friday, as an upper ridge remains in place across the southern tier of the CONUS. Dry Tuesday-Wednesday, with chances of rain late week. As of 255am EST Monday... KEY MESSAGE 1...Rain and drizzle tapers off early this morning, but lingering cloud cover keeps temperatures cool today. The steady rain has tapered off across the area, with most of the area now dry, except for near the coast. Rain and drizzle will continue to push offshore early this morning, although a few showers may linger near the coast. Rainfall totals have been the highest around the central portions of the CWA (County Warning Area) with amounts of around 1.00-1.50", while the northern third of the area has seen around 0.75-1.25" and the southern third seeing 0.50-0.75". The latest analysis shows low pressure just to the south of the area, pushing offshore, with an upper level trough digging through the SE coast. Surface high pressure remains centered over New England leading to a CAD wedge setup, even though the low tries to push WAA (Warm Air Advection - the movement of warm air) into the area. N to NE winds will prevail, keeping low clouds lingering E of I-95 through the majority of the afternoon while starting to break up well inland in the afternoon. Temperatures today will be the coolest E of I-95 with highs in the lower to mid 40s, and upper 40s to lower 50s W of I-95. A blustery N to NE wind will make it feel quite raw and cold along the coasts with gusts up to 25-30 mph. Tonight will be dry with lows dropping to the lower 30s. Given the wet grounds and calming winds, patchy fog may be possible tonight into Tuesday morning. KEY MESSAGE 2...Above average temperatures prevail from Tuesday-Friday, as an upper ridge remains in place across the southern tier of the CONUS. Dry Tuesday-Wednesday, with chances of rain late week. A fairly flat upper level ridge will become anchored from northern Mexico to Florida Tues-Thurs, shifting east to Florida and the Bahamas late in the week. An upper level trough over the PNW will push eastward through the week into next weekend. With this pattern, temperatures will be above normal with the warmest being Wed- Thur for interior portions of the CWA, seeing temperatures in the upper 60s to lower 70s. Near the coast and on the eastern shore, Wednesday will be the warmest day with highs in the lower 60s on the eastern shore and mid 60s along the coast. This week will feel like false spring, but it's only that...false. Temperatures may be cooler Thursday and Friday as a backdoor cold front approaches the area. Rain chances will increase late week with a few weak frontal boundaries approaching the area, but there remains a good bit of uncertainty at this time. For next weekend and beyond, the pattern does show signs of breaking down, leading to temperatures gradually dropping back closer to normal, particularly by Sunday. Marine As of 245am EST Monday... Key Message: - Increasing winds are expected through this morning. A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for most of the local waters aside from the upper rivers. A Gale Warning continues this morning for the coastal waters south of Cape Charles. - Small Craft Advisories, mainly for hazardous seas, are likely to be needed over the coastal waters through Tuesday evening. Latest analysis shows deepening ~1004mb surface low pressure over the northern NC outer banks as of this writing. Latest obs showing winds veering around to the NNE ~15-25 mph over much of the local area, with W-SW winds still holding on over far southern zones, including Currituck Sound and southern Coastal waters. Waves generally 1-2 ft, with seas 2-3 ft north, 4-6 ft south. Still expecting low pressure to lift NNE over the far SE portion of the marine area later this morning, with winds increasing through around sunrise over the far southern waters as the low deepens offshore as it pulls away from the SE VA/E NC coast. Seas will continue to quickly ramp up through midday, reaching 4-6 ft north, 6-9 ft south, with waves 2-3 ft, and up to 5 ft in the mouth of Ches Bay. Today/Tonight: The SCAs (Small Craft Advisories) and Gale Warnings remain in place at this time, with Gales over southern waters to be replaced by SCA NLT midday today, as the low pulls farther offshore. SCA (Small Craft Advisory) slowly come down this afternoon over the Bay/lower James. Over the coastal waters, wind waves/SE swell from the departing low will keep seas a bit elevated over the coastal waters. For that reason, SCA (Small Craft Advisory) are likely persist for a while here, as seas likely remain at or above 5 ft through tonight. Tuesday through Friday: SCA (Small Craft Advisory) likely remains in place over the coastal zones well into Tuesday evening due to lingering swell. Meanwhile, high pressure slides overhead, then offshore Tuesday into Tuesday night, with lighter southerly flow (5-10kt) expected. A warm front lifts across the local waters on Wednesday, with increasingly gusty SSW winds expected, especially nearshore. Low-end SCAs (Small Craft Advisories) could be needed for the rivers, lower Ches Bay, and Sound. However, winds should remain short of SCA (Small Craft Advisory) thresholds over the coastal waters, with poor mixing of WAA over the cold offshore waters. A weak backdoor front looks to drop across the local area on Thursday, backing winds around to the NE over the waters and adjacent lower mid-Atlantic coast. Some additional SCA (Small Craft Advisory) will be possible during this period over the lower Ches Bay. NOAA Wakefield VA Office: Watches - Warnings - Advisories MD...None. NC...None. VA...None. Marine Small Craft Advisory until 1pm EST this afternoon for ANZ630- 631-638. Small Craft Advisory until 4pm EST this afternoon for ANZ632. Small Craft Advisory until 7pm EST this evening for ANZ633- 634. Small Craft Advisory until 6pm EST Tuesday for ANZ650-652-654. Gale Warning until 1pm EST this afternoon for ANZ656-658. |
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