Special Marine Warning Issued for Niagara River and Lake Ontario
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NWS Buffalo NY has issued a Special Marine Warning for the Upper and Lower Niagara River and adjacent Lake Ontario waters until 1:45 PM EDT due to strong thunderstorms.
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- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Niagara River and Lake Ontario, New York
- Issued
- August 2, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Buffalo NY
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
Special Marine Warning issued by NWS Buffalo NY. Effective from 12:16 PM EDT August 2, 2026 until 1:45 PM EDT August 2, 2026. Alert type code: MA.W.
Affected Areas
Upper Niagara River and Buffalo Harbor; Lower Niagara River; Niagara River to Hamlin Beach NY; Niagara River to Hamlin Beach NY beyond 5NM off shoreline to US-Canadian border. Locations impacted include Thirty Mile Point, Youngstown, Grand Island, Lewiston, Olcott, Wilson, and Fort Niagara.
What You Should Do
Move to safe harbor immediately as gusty winds and high waves are expected.
Expected Conditions
At 12:14 PM EDT, strong thunderstorms were located along a line extending from 15 nm west of Niagara River to 19 nm west of Grand Island, moving northeast at 30 knots. Hazard: Wind gusts to 40 knots. Source: Radar. Impact: Small craft could be damaged in briefly higher winds and suddenly higher waves.
Timeline
Alert effective August 2, 2026 at 12:16 PM EDT. Expires and ends August 2, 2026 at 1:45 PM EDT.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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