Special Marine Warning Issued for Georgia and Florida Coastal Waters Through 9:15 PM
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 4, 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 Jacksonville has issued a Special Marine Warning for waters from Altamaha Sound to Fernandina Beach as strong thunderstorms with 34-knot wind gusts move through the area.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Coastal Georgia and Northeast Florida
- Issued
- April 4, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Jacksonville
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 Coastal Georgia and Northeast Florida.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Jacksonville has issued a Special Marine Warning for coastal and offshore waters. The alert was triggered by radar-indicated strong thunderstorms moving through the region.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following maritime regions:
- Coastal waters from Altamaha Sound to Fernandina Beach, FL, extending out 20 nautical miles.
- Waters from Altamaha Sound, GA, to Fernandina Beach, FL, from 20 to 60 nautical miles offshore.
Specific locations impacted include Buoy Hlha and Buoy Cdh.
What You Should Do
Mariners are advised to move to safe harbor immediately until the hazardous weather passes. If your vessel is caught offshore, immediately secure for heavy weather. Ensure all crew members are wearing USCG-approved Type I life jackets and nonessential crew are below decks. Deploy jack lines and harnesses if available. Check life-saving equipment, including batteries on handheld radios, for readiness.
Expected Conditions
At 8:18 PM EDT, an area of strong thunderstorms was located 20 nautical miles southeast of Jekyll Island, or 24 nautical miles southeast of St. Simons Island, moving northeast at 20 knots. The primary hazard includes wind gusts of 34 knots or greater. Small craft could be damaged in briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves.
Timeline
The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately and is scheduled to expire at 9:15 PM EDT on March 15, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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