Marine Weather Net

Alligator River Marine Forecast


TONIGHT

NE
WINDS
5 - 10
KNOTS

MON

NE
WINDS
15 - 20
KNOTS

MON NIGHT

N
WINDS
20 - 25
KNOTS

TUE

NW
WINDS
10 - 15
KNOTS

The Marine Weather Forecast In Detail:
AMZ131 Forecast Issued: 658 PM EST Sun Dec 07 2025

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY EVENING
Tonight...Ne Winds 5 To 10 Kt, Becoming N 10 To 15 Kt Late. Waves Light Chop, Increasing To A Moderate Chop Late.
Mon...Ne Winds 15 To 20 Kt, Increasing To 20 To 25 Kt In The Afternoon. Gusts Up To 30 Kt. Waves Choppy, Increasing To Rough In The Afternoon. A Chance Of Rain In The Morning, Then Rain In The Afternoon.
Mon Night...N Winds 20 To 25 Kt With Gusts Up To 30 Kt, Diminishing To 15 To 20 Kt After Midnight. Waves Rough, Diminishing To Choppy After Midnight. Rain Likely In The Evening.
Tue...Nw Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Diminishing To 5 To 10 Kt In The Afternoon. Waves A Moderate Chop, Diminishing To Light Chop In The Afternoon.
Tue Night...Sw Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Waves Light Chop.
Wed...Sw Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Increasing To 15 To 20 Kt With Gusts Up To 25 Kt In The Afternoon. Waves A Moderate Chop, Increasing To Choppy In The Afternoon.
Wed Night...Sw Winds 15 To 20 Kt With Gusts Up To 25 Kt, Becoming W 10 To 15 Kt After Midnight. Waves Choppy, Diminishing To A Moderate Chop After Midnight.
Thu...W Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Waves A Moderate Chop.
Thu Night...Nw Winds Around 10 Kt. Waves Light Chop.
Fri...Nw Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Waves Light Chop. A Chance Of Rain.
Fri Night...W Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Waves Light Chop.
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Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wakefield VA
643pm EST Sunday Dec 7 2025

Synopsis
Low pressure offshore and a passing disturbance aloft brings the chance for snow to mainly the southwestern half of the area on Monday. Mainly dry for Tuesday through Thursday, with shower chances increasing with the next cold front late in the week.

Near Term - Through Monday
As of 330pm EST Sunday... Key Messages:

- Headlines have been issued for Winter Weather that is expected for much of the area Monday.

Weak high pressure is currently centered across the VA coastal plain this afternoon. with low pressure along the Gulf coast. A WSW flow prevails aloft. Low clouds and fog finally dissipated over most of the area early this afternoon. allowing temperatures to rise into the low-mid 40s, though it remains overcast and in the 30s across the northern piedmont. For tonight, light wind and a variably cloudy sky this evening will tend to promote some quick cooling after sunset with the potential for patchy fog later in the evening, mainly inland. It will not be nearly as widespread and of the duration which occurred late last night and this morning since northerly winds begin to increase after midnight in the wake of a dry cold front. Low temps dip into the upper 20s to low 30s for most spots with mid and upper 30s near the coast in the far SE.

The latest 12Z/07 model suite continues to trend stronger with the potential for a significant winter weather event for much of the region on Monday. Low pressure deepens off the Carolina coast early Monday. Aloft, a short wave trough traverses the local area Monday morning into the afternoon which will provide enough lift for precipitation across at least the southern half to two thirds of the area. 12z guidance continues to trend wetter vs previous runs with forecast Quantitative Precipitation Forecast now varying from 0.20-0.40" overall. Strong (~1030 mb) surface high pressure to the north will remain favorably located across NY state to supply a good feed of cold/dry air into the region, so went a little colder than the blended guidance and show temps holding roughly steady in the morning and then falling through the afternoon. There are some notable model differences with respect to the highest snowfall and Quantitative Precipitation Forecast amounts, which yields uncertainty in the forecast- the RAP/HRRR (High-Resolution Rapid Refresh) are a little north of the consensus with respect to heavier snow and higher Quantitative Precipitation Forecast which would suggest 3-4" snowfall amounts along and even to the N of I-64. In contrast, the ENS/GEFS/GEPS and deterministic ECMWF, GFS, CMC are farther south, with the highest probs for seeing 3-4" or more of snowfall across south central and interior SE VA. Confidence is rather high for 1-2"+ across most of the CWA (County Warning Area) so went primarily with Winter WX Advisories, with a small watch area along and S of route 460 and W of I-95 in south central VA where probs for >3" are well over 50%. Very cold temps aloft also argue for snow to liquid ratios to be higher than 10:1, especially in the afternoon as cold advection strengthens. Forecast soundings show saturation or supersaturation with respect to ice in the DGZ so expect most of the precipitation to fall as snow or perhaps a brief rain/snow mix at the onset. The far SE portion of the area remains problematic with colder air taking longer to arrive. Given the upward trends, included most of metro Norfolk in an Advisory, but left out VA Beach and Currituck NC where the warmer air hangs on the longest.

Short Term - Monday Night Through Wednesday
As of 330pm EST Sunday... Key Messages:

- Snow ending Monday night, then dry and cold Tuesday, followed by milder temperatures Wednesday.

Very cold air moves into the region Monday night with low temps in the mid teens west of I-95 with upper teens to the low/mid 20s to the east. Inland winds drop off by Tueam so not anticipating wind chills to be much below actual air temperatures. Continued cold Tuesday with most inland areas likely not warming out of the 30s, with low 40s in the SE. Not as cold Tuesday night, and turning milder Wednesday as a deep upper trough amplifies across central Canada, with low pressure tracking through the Great Lakes. This allows for an increasing SW low level flow Wed, with highs into the 50s for most.

Long Term - Wednesday Night Through Sunday
As of 345pm EST Sunday... - Trending cooler Thursday, with low-end precipitation chances Friday

- Dry, but cold next weekend.

Medium range models and ensembles remain in decent agreement that the later week timeframe trends colder with increasing rain chances Thursday night/Friday as the next system impacts the region. Precip potentially changes over to a rain/snow mix before ending Friday night. Next weekend looks dry and cold as high pressure builds in from the NW.

Marine
As of 300pm EST Sunday... - A Gale Warning is in effect for Monday for the coastal waters south of Parramore Island, including the Currituck Sound and Mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, with Small Craft Advisories in effect in the remaining waters.

- Another system may bring degraded marine conditions to the area Wednesday and Wednesday night, followed by additional elevated winds by the end of the week into the weekend.

High pressure has settled across the local waters this afternoon, which has resulted in light and variable winds. Marine observation sites are measuring winds of around 5 kts and waves of less than 1 ft in the Bay and seas ranging between 2-3 ft in the Ocean. Marine conditions will rapidly deteriorate late tonight into early Monday morning as a cold front drops through the area. Winds will quickly increase as the gradient tightens between high pressure to the north that will be building southward across the region and an area of low pressure that will be skirting northeast off the Carolina coast. With the tightened gradient in place, combined with exceptional Cold Air Advection expected in the wake of this front, strong to near-gale force winds are forecast for all coastal waters. Guidance has kept the strongest winds in the coastal waters south of Parramore Island, so have upgraded the Gale Watch to a Gale Warning for these coastal waters, as well as the Currituck and the mouth of the Bay. All other waters will see high-end SCA (Small Craft Advisory) conditions for the event. There will likely be a brief period of gale-force gusts accompanying at least the initial push of this drier, colder air in waters outside of the Gale Warning, though these short duration gusts will likely be able to be covered by Special Marine Warnings.

High pressure is forecast to build across the area late Monday night through Tuesday, and winds will quickly diminish in response. This reprieve from winds will be fleeting as another system approaches the region on Wednesday. Winds will begin to increase Wednesday morning as a warm front lifts across the region and strong low pressure system advances northeastward across the Great Lakes. The gradient tightens significantly and the in-house probs for the coastal waters for wind gusts >=34 kts range between 50% to near 100% (highest farther offshore between 15-20 nm). Probs for sustained winds of 34 kts or greater remain relatively low, maxing out around 20% in the northern waters. As the aforementioned low lifts well north of the area on Thursday afternoon, winds will diminish to 10-15 kts through Friday morning. Yet another system is forecast to approach the region by late week, bringing possibly another round of strong to near-gale conditions to the area.

As winds increase on Monday, waves will rapidly build to 3-5 ft in the Bay (highest at the mouth of the Bay) and seas will build to 6-9 ft in the Ocean (highest in the southern coastal waters). With the northeasterly wind direction during the day tomorrow, the southern waters wave heigheights may actually be slightly under done. Despite an expected downtrend in winds late Monday night through Tuesday, seas will be slower to subside and will likely remain near or just briefly drop below SCA (Small Craft Advisory) criteria before building again with the second wind surge forecast for Wednesday. With southwesterly winds and shifting to a WSW direction by Wednesday afternoon, forecast wave heigheights generally range between 4-7 ft in the coastal waters (may briefly reach 8ft in the northern coastal waters) and 3-4 ft in the Bay. Seas will drop briefly below SCA (Small Craft Advisory) criteria by Thursday afternoon before trending upwards again by late week into the weekend.

NOAA Wakefield VA Office: Watches - Warnings - Advisories
MD...None. NC...Winter Weather Advisory from 10am to 10pm EST Monday for NCZ012>014-030. Winter Weather Advisory from 2pm Monday to midnight EST Monday night for NCZ015-016-031-032. VA...Winter Weather Advisory from 10am to 10pm EST Monday for VAZ084-086-088>090-092-093-096-523>525. Winter Weather Advisory from 2pm Monday to midnight EST Monday night for VAZ095-097-100. Winter Weather Advisory from 6am to 6pm EST Monday for VAZ048-062-083-085-509>512-517-518-520. Winter Storm Watch from 6am EST Monday through Monday afternoon for VAZ060-065>067-079-080-087. Winter Weather Advisory from 6am to 10pm EST Monday for VAZ061-068-069-081-082-513>516.

Marine
Small Craft Advisory from 4am Monday to 6am EST Tuesday for ANZ630>632-650-652. Gale Warning from 9am Monday to midnight EST Monday night for ANZ633-634-654-656-658. Small Craft Advisory from 4am Monday to midnight EST Monday night for ANZ635>638.