Special Marine Warning Issued for Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds Through 2:15 PM EST
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A Special Marine Warning is in effect for several North Carolina sounds and rivers until 2:15 PM EST due to a strong thunderstorm capable of producing 40-knot wind gusts.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Eastern North Carolina
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Newport
Marine notices apply to named waters or shoreline zones. They may not describe conditions on land, even when the nearest place name is the same.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Eastern North Carolina.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City has issued a Special Marine Warning for the Albemarle Sound, Alligator River, Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, and Pamlico Sound. The warning is in effect until 2:15 PM EST on February 20, 2026.
Affected Areas
The warning covers several key maritime areas in eastern North Carolina, including:
- Albemarle Sound
- Alligator River
- Croatan and Roanoke Sounds
- Pamlico Sound
Specific locations impacted include Engelhard, the vicinity of Mashoes, the vicinity of Gum Neck, the center of Croatan Sound, the vicinity of Frying Pan, Bull Bay/Scuppernong River, Alligator River Bridge, and the mouth of the Alligator River.
What You Should Do
Mariners and those currently on the water should move to safe harbor immediately. Gusty winds and high waves are expected to create hazardous conditions, and small craft could be damaged in the briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves.
Expected Conditions
According to radar at 1:48 PM EST, a strong thunderstorm was located 8 nautical miles south of Bull Bay/Scuppernong River, or 11 nautical miles south of Albemarle Sound. The storm is moving east at 35 knots. The primary hazard identified is wind gusts of up to 40 knots.
Timeline
The alert was issued at 1:49 PM EST on February 20, 2026, and is effective immediately. The warning is expected to expire at 2:15 PM EST.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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