Surf City to Cape Fear, NC out 20 NM Marine Forecast
| Tonight...W Winds 5 To 10 Kt, Becoming N Late. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Wave Detail: S 2 Ft At 6 Seconds And E 1 Ft At 14 Seconds. Areas Of Fog Late Overnight With Vsby 1 Nm Or Less. |
| Thu...Ne Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 2 Ft. Wave Detail: S 2 Ft At 5 Seconds And E 2 Ft At 5 Seconds. Areas Of Fog In The Morning With Vsby 1 Nm Or Less. |
| Thu Night...E Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 2 Ft. Wave Detail: E 2 Ft At 4 Seconds And S 1 Ft At 5 Seconds. A Slight Chance Of Rain After Midnight. |
| Fri...S Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Wave Detail: Se 2 Ft At 4 Seconds. A Chance Of Rain. |
| Fri Night...S Winds 10 Kt. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Wave Detail: Se 2 Ft At 5 Seconds. A Slight Chance Of Rain In The Evening, Then A Chance Of Rain After Midnight. |
| Sat...S Winds 10 To 15 Kt With Gusts Up To 20 Kt. Seas 2 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: Se 3 Ft At 5 Seconds. A Chance Of Rain In The Morning. |
| Sat Night...Sw Winds 15 To 20 Kt With Gusts Up To 25 Kt. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. A Chance Of Rain. |
| Sun...W Winds 15 To 20 Kt. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. A Chance Of Rain In The Morning. |
| Sun Night...Nw Winds 15 To 20 Kt. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. |
| Mon...N Winds 15 To 20 Kt, Diminishing To 10 To 15 Kt In The Afternoon. Seas 2 To 4 Ft. |
| Mon Night...N Winds 5 To 10 Kt. Seas 2 Ft. |
| Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 1000pm EST Wednesday Jan 7 2026 Synopsis A backdoor cold front will sink south of the region tonight, lifting back north early Friday. A significant warming trend could bring record highs Friday and Saturday. A strong but moisture starved cold front Sunday will bring temperatures back to January values next week. Dense Fog Advisory has been issued from New Hanover County southward through the Grand Strand and also including Columbus and Williamsburg counties. Visibilities are dropping quickly at local airports and it's likely dense fog will settle in for the night. A few beach webcams I looked up didn't look foggy yet, although there remains some potential fog will develop offshore overnight. Update from 630 pm follows... With the exception of the 18z GFS, virtually all guidance is showing areas of dense fog developing near the coast and out across the coastal waters overnight. Fog may persist through noon Thursday offshore south of Cape Fear. While there's still uncertainty regarding how low visibility may become, it appears the best potential for fog will be from Wilmington and Southport southward across the Grand Strand region beginning in the 10 pm to 2 am timeframe. The 18z GFS looks similar to the 12z GFS (Global Forecast System) which showed enough dry air scouring down into the boundary layer before daybreak to disturb and lift fog, however the 18z NAM shows a very stable 15-20 degree F inversion between the surface and 1000 feet AGL which would be highly resistant to such effects. In the NAM scenario, inland fog could last through 10 am Thursday. The Hazardous Weather Outlook has been updated to address the potential for dense fog both on land and over the ocean where Dense Fog Advisories may be needed overnight. Near Term - Through Thursday High pressure will build into the region tonight behind a dry cold front this evening. Despite a drier (and drying) boundary layer than previous nights, some patchy fog may be possible. Boundary layer winds turn northeasterly and increase to around 10-15 knots near sunrise which would likely force low level fog to lift to stratus or dissipate completely. This should ease any impact to the morning commute. Given the uncertainty in fog development over the last few nights, safe to call this a low confidence forecast. Expect another stellar day on Thursday. High pressure will slide offshore of the Delmarva coast during the afternoon. Easterly flow during the late morning will transition to southeasterly winds for the afternoon. Highs will touch the 70 degree mark with increasing dew points in the upper 50s to around 60. Short Term - Thursday Night Through Friday Night Front stalled to the south will lift north of the area Thursday night into early Friday. This will kick off strong WAA (Warm Air Advection - the movement of warm air) and well above normal temperatures into the weekend, despite plenty of high clouds. High temps Friday, away from the immediate coastline, is forecasted around 75-77F. Record highs for LBT and FLO is 78F for Jan 9th. There may be a few shallow, very light showers moving onshore in return flow Friday, with very dry mid level air limiting POPs. Low temps Friday morning in the low 50s, while lows Friday night will be warmer than typical highs this time of year around 60F. Long Term - Saturday Through Wednesday Another very warm day Saturday with highs in the upper 70s, approaching 80F. Record highs for the 10th at FLO and LBT are 80F and 78F, respectively. Breezy Saturday afternoon with gusts around 25-30 mph. Mid level dry air still present during the day Saturday, finally eroding late in the day as cold front approaches. Light showers move across the area Saturday night, with limited Quantitative Precipitation Forecast, with strong cold front moving through late Saturday night into Sunday morning. Depending on timing of front, high temps Sunday will likely be earlier in the day before falling through the afternoon. 850mb temps drop from 12C Saturday night to -6C Sunday night, aiding in below normal temps to start next week. Upper shortwave moves across the Southeast Sunday evening, but there will be virtually no moisture left for any sensible weather. After freezing temps Monday morning, highs will struggle to reach 50F in the afternoon. Cool high pressure and associated radiational cooling will make Monday night the coldest of the forecast period, with current forecast in the upper 20s. Temps warm back to near normal heading into the middle of next week. Coastal trough/low may produce some showers Wednesday. Marine Through Thursday...Southwest winds weaken today and turn northeasterly tonight as a dry cold front moves offshore. High pressure building north of the region will quickly slide offshore on Thursday. While winds remain light, they will vary in direction from northeast early Thursday morning to southeast by Thursday afternoon. Light and variable winds keep seas around 1-2 feet. Thursday night through Sunday...Light ENE winds Thursday night will turn southerly early Friday as warm front lifts north. South- southwest winds persist through late Saturday, increasing to 15-20 kts Saturday evening. Strong cold front pushes offshore early Sunday, with gusty offshore winds developing by Sunday afternoon. Seas around 2 ft Friday increase to 3-4 ft by Saturday evening with building southerly wind wave. Seas linger around 3-4 ft through Sunday, with diminishing southerly wave component being replaced by offshore waves. There is a also a chance of patchy sea fog Friday into Saturday as dewpoints rise into the 60s. NOAA Wilmington NC Office: Watches - Warnings - Advisories NC...Dense Fog Advisory until 9am EST Thursday for NCZ099-107>110. SC...Dense Fog Advisory until 9am EST Thursday for SCZ039-054>056- 058-059. Marine None. |
Wilmington NC Radar
Southeast Radar