Marine Weather Net

Oregon Inlet to Cape Hatteras, NC out 20 NM Marine Forecast


REST OF TODAY

N
WINDS
20 - 25
KNOTS

TONIGHT

NW
WINDS
5 - 10
KNOTS

TUE

W
WINDS
10 - 15
KNOTS

TUE NIGHT

SW
WINDS
10 - 15
KNOTS

The Marine Weather Forecast In Detail:
AMZ152 Forecast Issued: 1008 AM EST Mon Dec 15 2025

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING
Rest Of Today...N Winds 20 To 25 Kt With Gusts Up To 30 Kt, Diminishing To 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 5 To 8 Ft. Wave Detail: N 8 Ft At 9 Seconds And Se 1 Ft At 10 Seconds.
Tonight...Nw Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 4 To 6 Ft, Subsiding To 3 To 4 Ft After Midnight. Wave Detail: N 5 Ft At 9 Seconds And S 1 Ft At 4 Seconds, Becoming Ne 4 Ft At 8 Seconds And Se 2 Ft At 11 Seconds.
Tue...W Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Becoming Nw 5 To 10 Kt In The Afternoon. Seas 2 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: Ne 3 Ft At 8 Seconds And Sw 2 Ft At 4 Seconds.
Tue Night...Sw Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 2 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: Sw 3 Ft At 4 Seconds And Ne 2 Ft At 8 Seconds.
Wed...Sw Winds 15 To 20 Kt. Seas 3 To 5 Ft. Wave Detail: Sw 4 Ft At 5 Seconds And Se 2 Ft At 10 Seconds.
Wed Night...W Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Becoming Ne 5 To 10 Kt After Midnight. Seas 2 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: S 4 Ft At 5 Seconds And Se 2 Ft At 10 Seconds.
Thu...Se Winds 5 To 10 Kt, Becoming S 10 To 15 Kt In The Afternoon. Seas 2 To 4 Ft. A Chance Of Showers In The Afternoon.
Thu Night...S Winds 15 To 20 Kt, Becoming Sw 20 To 25 Kt After Midnight. Seas 5 To 7 Ft. A Chance Of Showers In The Evening, Then Showers After Midnight.
Fri...Sw Winds 20 To 25 Kt, Becoming Nw In The Afternoon. Seas 5 To 8 Ft. A Chance Of Showers In The Morning.
Fri Night...N Winds 15 To 20 Kt. Seas 4 To 6 Ft.
SHARE THIS PAGE:           
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC
637am EST Monday Dec 15 2025

Synopsis
Arctic high pressure crests over ENC today into tonight. High pressure shifts offshore by the middle of next week with moderating conditions expected. Another strong cold front then moves through Thursday night with high pressure for the end of the week into the weekend.

Near Term - Today
As of 3am Mon... Key Messages:

- A Cold Weather Advisory is in place through this morning.

Winds chills dropped into the single digits as strong CAA brought breezy and cold conditions. Recovery will be slow today, as thicknesses on par with the lower end of guidance, with highs struggling to rise above freezing in the nern zones, esp areas that received light snow accums last night. Rest of the area should see temps rise through the mid 30s by this afternoon. The good news is that winds will be on the decrease as the day goes on with high pressure approaching and full sunshine.

Short Term - Tonight
As of 3am Tue... Key Messages:

- Coldest night of the season thus far for some as lows drop into the teens under clear skies and calm winds tonight.

- Possible record lows tonight (see climate section below).

Arctic high pressure will crest over ENC tonight. The ridge axis will be centered over southern portions of ENC, and with very dry airmass in place and calm/light wind, ideal radiational cooling will be in place. Target of opportunity over model guidance as models struggle to depict temps cold enough under these regimes. Coldest areas will be swarning and southern zones near Croatan/Hoffman/Holly Shelter regions, and nern mainland zones. Temps drop to the mid teens here, and will be close to cold wx advisory thresholds once again. Followed close to the developmental NBM 5.0 which has shown strong performance in radiational cooling regimes.

Long Term - Tuesday Through Sunday
As of 3am Mon... Tuesday through Thursday...High pressure slides offshore Tuesday with SW flow returning bringing a warming trend through mid week (highs expected to warm into the 50s Wednesday and into the 60s by Thursday). Precip chances increase late Thursday (10-30%) and Thursday night (60-70%) with another cold front approaching and moving through the region. Left in a 20% thunder prob, but instability is very slim on latest 15/00Z model suite.

Friday through Saturday...Cold front pushes east by week's end, with dry conditions returning. Zonal flow ensues behind frontal passage. so temps will actually be above climo behind it, with highs in the upper 50s to lower 60s.

Marine
As of 3am Mon... Key Messages:

- Strong winds abate today as high pressure approaches.

- Gale conditions possible for the Gulf Stream waters Thursday night to early Friday as next cold front approaches, with SCA possible rest of the marine waters.

Today...Winds die down quickly through the day, with gusts likely falling below SCA (Small Craft Advisory) conditions Monday morning. Elevated seas will linger through much of the day, however, with 6+ ft seas lingering north of Ocracoke today but dropping below 6 ft by late this morning.

Tuesday through Thursday...Winds abate and broad southwesterly flow develops, with speeds in the 5-15 kt range expected. Gusts may again increase to near/just above SCA (Small Craft Advisory) criteria across the Gulf Stream waters Wednesday. Seas will be generally 2-5 ft, with the potential for some 6-footers across the Gulf Stream Wednesday afternoon.

Thursday night into Friday...Another round of SCA (Small Craft Advisory) conditions looks likely late this week as southwesterly flow strengthens ahead of the next approaching cold front starting late Thursday and lasting into Friday. With warm offshore waters, gale conditions possible over the Gulf Stream with strong southwesterly flow in place ahead of next cold front. Winds turn nwrly on Friday behind the cold front and may remain elevated in the 15-25 kt range before diminishing prior to the weekend.

Climate
Record Low temps for 12/16 (Tuesday)

LOCATION TEMP/YEAR New Bern 13/1943 (KEWN ASOS) Cape Hatteras 26/2010 (KHSE ASOS) Greenville 5/1958 (COOP - Not KPGV AWOS) Morehead City 21/1958 (COOP - Not KMRH ASOS) Kinston 19/2004 (COOP - Not KISO AWOS) Jacksonville 20/1968 (NCA ASOS)

NOAA Newport/Morehead City NC Office - Watches - Warnings - Advisories
NC...Cold Weather Advisory until 10am EST this morning for NCZ029- 044>047-079>081-090>092-094-193>196-198-199-203>205.

Marine
Small Craft Advisory until 9am EST this morning for AMZ131- 230-231. Small Craft Advisory until noon EST today for AMZ135(Pamlico Sound)-154-156- 158. Small Craft Advisory until 6pm EST this evening for AMZ150- 152.