Special Marine Warning Issued for Chesapeake Bay and Tidal Potomac

Source: NOAA · Chesapeake Bay and Tidal Potomac

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NWS Baltimore MD/Washington DC has issued a Special Marine Warning for Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA, Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA, and Tangier Sound until 12:45 AM EDT.

Read this weather record in 30 seconds

Record type
Special Marine Warning
Affected area
Chesapeake Bay and Tidal Potomac
Issued
August 23, 2026
Issuing authority
NWS Baltimore MD/Washington DC

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: publication date is recent, but current status is not stored on this page. Check the issuing agency's live warning service before acting because warnings can be updated, narrowed, or cancelled.

Alert Details

A Special Marine Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service in Sterling Virginia (NWS Baltimore MD/Washington DC). The alert is effective from August 22 at 11:19 PM EDT until August 23 at 12:45 AM EDT.

Affected Areas

The warning covers Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA, Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA, and Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island. Locations impacted include Hooper Island Light, Smith Island, Piney Point, Crisfield, Deep Hole, Mouth Of The Potomac River, Solomons Island, Nanticoke River Mouth, Southwest Middle Grounds, Ewell, Point Lookout, Tall Timbers, Tangier Sound, Saint George Island, Honga River, Fishing Bay, Point No Point, Bivalve, The Targets, and Richland Point Buoy.

What You Should Do

Move to safe harbor immediately as gusty winds and high waves are expected. Boaters in small craft could be thrown overboard by suddenly higher winds and waves capsizing their vessel.

Expected Conditions

At 11:19 PM EDT, strong thunderstorms were located along a line extending from Saint Clements Bay to 6 nm south of Nomini Bay to 8 nm southwest of Yeocomico River, moving east at 30 knots. Hazard includes wind gusts 34 knots or greater, indicated by radar.

Timeline

The alert is in effect from August 22 at 11:19 PM EDT and expires August 23 at 12:45 AM EDT.

Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗

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Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this NWS weather alert: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this NWS weather alert.

What is this NWS weather alert about?
NWS Baltimore MD/Washington DC has issued a Special Marine Warning for Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA, Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA, and Tangier Sound until 12:45 AM EDT.
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 and Tidal Potomac. 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.