Special Marine Warning Issued for Lower Chesapeake Bay and Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
This alert is no longer in effect.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 a Special Marine Warning for the lower Chesapeake Bay until 1:15 PM EDT due to wind gusts of 40 knots or greater.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Lower Chesapeake Bay, Virginia
- Issued
- April 6, 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: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Lower Chesapeake Bay, Virginia.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Wakefield VA has issued a Special Marine Warning for the lower Chesapeake Bay. This alert was issued at 11:53 AM EDT on March 12, 2026, following reports of hazardous marine conditions.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following geographic regions:
- Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek, VA.
- Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek to Cape Henry, VA, including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.
Specific locations impacted include the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, New Point Comfort, 1st Island Bay Bridge, Latimer Shoal, Plantation Light, Mobjack Bay, Cape Henry, Thimble Shoals, Kiptopeke Concrete Ships, Tue Marshes Light, Lynnhaven, York Spit Reef, Buoy 36a, Bluefish Rock, Fishermans Island, The Hump, Cape Henry Wreck, Cabbage Patch, Little Creek, and 4th Island Bay Bridge.
Expected Conditions
As of 11:51 AM EDT, marine reports indicate north winds gusting to 40 knots or greater. These conditions are occurring behind a cold front and are expected to persist through early this afternoon. Mariners should be prepared for briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves that could damage small craft.
What You Should Do
Mariners and individuals operating small craft are advised to move to safe harbor immediately. Remain in a secure location until the hazardous weather conditions have passed.
Timeline
The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately and is currently set to expire at 1:15 PM EDT on March 12, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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