Special Marine Warning Issued for Chesapeake Bay and Virginia Rivers
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NWS Wakefield VA has issued a Special Marine Warning for Chesapeake Bay zones and nearby rivers due to strong thunderstorms with wind gusts of 34 knots or greater until 5:30 PM EDT.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Virginia
- Issued
- August 2, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Wakefield VA
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 Wakefield VA. The alert is effective from 4:00 PM EDT to 5:30 PM EDT on August 2, 2026.
Affected Areas
The warning covers:
- Chesapeake Bay from Windmill Point to New Point Comfort VA
- Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA
- Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
- Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point
- York River
- James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge
- James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River
- Coastal waters from Parramore Island to Cape Charles Light VA out 20 NM
What You Should Do
Move to safe harbor until hazardous weather passes.
Expected Conditions
At 3:59 PM EDT, a cluster of strong thunderstorms was located along a line extending from 16 nm west of Cobham Bay to 9 nm south of Burwell Bay to 14 nm south of Monitor Merrimack Bridge Tunnel, moving north to northeast at 25 knots. Hazard includes wind gusts 34 knots or greater. Small craft could be damaged in briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves.
Timeline
The alert is in effect until 5:30 PM EDT on August 2, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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