Surf City to Cape Fear, NC out 20 NM Marine Forecast
| This Afternoon...Sw Winds 15 Kt With Gusts Up To 25 Kt. Seas 3 To 5 Ft. Wave Detail: S 4 Ft At 6 Seconds And E 2 Ft At 11 Seconds. |
| Tonight...Sw Winds 10 To 15 Kt With Gusts Up To 25 Kt. Seas 3 To 5 Ft. Wave Detail: S 4 Ft At 6 Seconds And E 2 Ft At 12 Seconds. Patchy Fog After Midnight With Vsby 1 To 3 Nm. |
| Thu...Sw Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Gusts Up To 20 Kt In The Afternoon. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: S 3 Ft At 6 Seconds And E 2 Ft At 13 Seconds. Patchy Fog In The Morning. Patchy Fog In The Afternoon With Vsby 1 To 3 Nm. |
| Thu Night...Sw Winds 15 Kt With Gusts Up To 20 Kt. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: S 4 Ft At 6 Seconds And E 2 Ft At 12 Seconds. Patchy Fog. A Slight Chance Of Rain After Midnight. Vsby 1 Nm Or Less. |
| Fri...Sw Winds 15 To 20 Kt With Gusts Up To 25 Kt. Seas 3 To 5 Ft. Wave Detail: S 5 Ft At 6 Seconds And E 1 Ft At 12 Seconds. A Chance Of Showers. Patchy Fog. |
| Fri Night...Sw Winds 15 To 20 Kt, Diminishing To 10 To 15 Kt After Midnight. Gusts Up To 25 Kt. Seas 3 To 5 Ft. Wave Detail: S 5 Ft At 7 Seconds And E 1 Ft At 12 Seconds. Patchy Fog. A Chance Of Showers After Midnight. |
| Sat...Sw Winds 10 Kt, Becoming Nw In The Afternoon. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Showers. Patchy Fog. |
| Sat Night...Ne Winds 5 To 10 Kt, Increasing To 10 To 15 Kt After Midnight. Seas 2 To 3 Ft. Rain Likely. Patchy Fog. |
| Sun...N Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Becoming Nw 15 To 20 Kt In The Afternoon. Seas 2 To 4 Ft. Rain Likely, Mainly In The Morning. |
| Sun Night...Nw Winds 20 To 25 Kt. Seas 3 To 5 Ft. A Chance Of Rain In The Evening. |
| Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 114pm EST Wednesday Feb 18 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... Aviation discussion has been updated for 18Z TAFs. .KEY MESSAGES... 1) Well above normal temps thru late week, possibly reaching record levels inland Friday 2) Much-needed rainfall late week into early next week 3) Well below normal temps starting Sunday night KEY MESSAGE 1: Well above normal temps thru late week, possibly reaching record levels inland Friday Anomolously warm low to mid-levels will prevail through the end of the week ahead of a cold front. This will translate to well above normal temperatures with record highs possible Fri, especially inland away from the chilly Atlantic (see Climate section below for the records). Although low-level thicknesses suggest highs warmer than currently forecast, there is only moderate confidence in the temperature forecast due to lingering uncertainty regarding the influence of clouds/rain as well as the sea breeze/sea fog near the coast. KEY MESSAGE 2: Much-needed rainfall late week into early next week A frontal system will move through the area this weekend bringing some much-needed rainfall and even a slight chance of thunderstorms. Some areas could pick up over an inch of rainfall, especially in SC and across coastal NC. However, significant flooding or severe storms are not expected at this time. KEY MESSAGE 3: Well below normal temps starting Sunday night A much colder air mass will build in behind a departing storm system early next week bringing temperatures down well below normal. Highs Mon/Tuesday will generally be near 50 with lows generally around 30. Monday night should be coldest night with wind chills near 20 degrees. Marine Through Thursday... Steady southwest winds will continue through the period as offshore high pressure maintains control ahead of an approaching cold front. Speeds around 15-18 kts today will relax to around 10 kts overnight, then pick up to around 15 kts tomorrow afternoon. Breezy conditions today will lead to seas rising to around 3-5 ft by this evening, then subside overnight to around 2-4 ft, which will remain in place through Thursday. The primary wave group will be southerly wind waves with a weaker ENE swell of 1-2 ft every 11-12 sec persisting through the period. Thursday night through Sunday night...No big changes to the previous forecast. Southerly winds will prevail into late week with high pressure centered to the E-SE. A storm system this weekend will lead to varying wind directions. There is a low to moderate risk for marginal SCA conditions Fri ahead of an approaching cold front, with some uncertainty regarding how much the cool water will limit the winds, with a better chance of more solid SCA (Small Craft Advisory) conditions starting late Sunday after the cold frontal passage. Sea fog is also a risk into early Sunday as a warm/moist air mass remains in place prior to the cold frontal passage Sun,although confidence remains low given the enhanced winds much of the time. Climate Record highs for 2/20/2026... Wilmington NC - KILM (81 last set in 1991) Lumberton NC - KLBT (80 last set in 2018) N. Myrtle Beach SC - KCRE (77 last set in 1949) Florence SC - KFLO (83 last set in 2014) NOAA Wilmington NC Office: Watches - Warnings - Advisories NC...None. SC...None. Marine None. |
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