Special Marine Warning Issued for James River and Hampton Roads Through 12:30 PM
This alert is no longer in effect.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.
The National Weather Service has issued an immediate Special Marine Warning for the James River as a cold front brings wind gusts exceeding 34 knots.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- James River, 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 James River, Virginia.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Wakefield VA has issued a Special Marine Warning for portions of the James River. This alert was issued at 10:53 AM EDT following the detection of a strong cold front moving through the region.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following maritime regions:
- James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge
- James River from the James River Bridge to the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel
Specific locations expected to be impacted include the Hampton River Inlet, James River Bridge, Hampton Flats, Monitor Merrimack Bridge Tunnel, Willoughby Bay, Sewells Point, Burwell Bay, and Dominion Pier.
What You Should Do
Mariners are advised to move to safe harbor immediately. Small craft should remain in a secure location until the hazardous weather conditions have passed, as sudden wind shifts and high waves can cause significant damage.
Expected Conditions
At 10:52 AM EDT, radar indicated a strong cold front pushing southeast at 35 knots. Winds are expected to quickly shift to the northwest and north, gusting to 34 knots or greater. These conditions will likely result in briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves.
Timeline
The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately and is scheduled to remain in place until 12:30 PM EDT on March 12, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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