Special Marine Warning Issued for Chesapeake Bay and Surrounding Maryland Waters
This alert is no longer in effect.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 until 7:45 AM EDT for the Chesapeake Bay and nearby rivers due to wind gusts exceeding 34 knots and an approaching cold front.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Chesapeake Bay and Maryland Waterways
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Baltimore Washington
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 and Maryland Waterways.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Baltimore MD/Washington DC has issued a Special Marine Warning effective immediately for the Chesapeake Bay and several surrounding waterways. The warning was triggered by a wind shift associated with an approaching cold front detected on radar.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following regions:
- Chesapeake Bay: From Sandy Point to North Beach MD, North Beach to Drum Point MD, and Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA.
- Rivers and Sounds: Eastern Bay, Choptank River to Cambridge MD, the Little Choptank River, Patuxent River to Broomes Island MD, and Tangier Sound including inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island.
Specific locations impacted include Choptank River, Hooper Island Light, Knapps Narrows Bridge, Tilghman Island, Blackwalnut Point, Solomons Island, Nanticoke River Mouth, Cuckold Creek, Town Creek, Taylors Island, Drum Point, Honga River, Fishing Bay, James Island, Calvert Cliffs, The Targets, Richland Point Buoy, Bivalve, Poplar Island, and Deale.
What You Should Do
Boaters are advised to move to safe harbor immediately. Gusty winds and high waves are expected, which could throw occupants of small craft overboard or capsize vessels. Small craft should avoid being on the water until conditions improve.
Expected Conditions
Radar indicates a cold front moving east at 30 knots. Hazards include:
- Wind Gusts: 34 knots or greater.
- Wind Direction: An abrupt change in direction out of the northwest.
- Waves: Suddenly higher waves are expected following the wind shift.
Timeline
The alert is effective as of 6:09 AM EDT on March 12 and is scheduled to expire at 7:45 AM EDT.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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