Special Marine Warning Issued for Chesapeake Bay and Bridge Tunnel Through Noon

Source: NOAA · Chesapeake Bay, Virginia

This alert is no longer in effect.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.

NWS Wakefield has issued a Special Marine Warning for the Chesapeake Bay until 12:00 PM EDT due to wind gusts exceeding 34 knots and rapidly building waves.

Read this weather record in 30 seconds

Record type
Special Marine Warning
Affected area
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia
Issued
April 6, 2026
Issuing authority
NWS Wakefield

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 Chesapeake Bay, Virginia.

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in Wakefield VA has issued a Special Marine Warning for the Chesapeake Bay. The alert was issued at 9:58 AM EDT and remains in effect until 12:00 PM EDT.

Affected Areas

The warning impacts the following maritime regions:

  • Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek, VA.
  • Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek to Cape Henry, VA, including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

Specific locations impacted include the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, New Point Comfort, 1st Island Bay Bridge, Latimer Shoal, Plantation Light, Mobjack Bay, Cape Henry, Thimble Shoals, Kiptopeke Concrete Ships, Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, Tue Marshes Light, Lynnhaven, York Spit Reef, Fishermans Island, The Hump, Cabbage Patch, Little Creek, and 4th Island Bay Bridge.

What You Should Do

Mariners are advised to move to safe harbor immediately until the hazardous weather passes. Small craft could be damaged in briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves.

Expected Conditions

At 9:56 AM EDT, a front was located near Cape Charles, moving south at 20 knots. A rapid change to a north wind gusting to 34 knots or greater is expected. These conditions are likely to produce suddenly higher waves.

Timeline

The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately and is scheduled to expire at 12:00 PM EDT on March 12, 2026.

Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this NWS weather alert.

What is this NWS weather alert about?
NWS Wakefield has issued a Special Marine Warning for the Chesapeake Bay until 12:00 PM EDT due to wind gusts exceeding 34 knots and rapidly building waves.
Which agency issued this alert?
This alert was issued by NOAA. The original notice is available at the source link at the bottom of this article.
How severe is this alert?
This alert is classified as "high" severity. Take precautions and monitor for updates.
What area is affected?
This alert affects Chesapeake Bay, Virginia. Check with NOAA for the most current geographic scope.
Where can I find more Weather Alerts updates?
Browse the full Weather Alerts feed on Areazine at areazine.com/weather/ for the latest updates from NOAA and other agencies.