Special Marine Warning Issued for Waters from Cape Lookout to Surf City NC

Source: NOAA · Waters from Cape Lookout to Surf City NC

This alert is no longer in effect.

NOAA issued it on May 19, 2026, 3 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 waters from Cape Lookout to Surf City NC from 20 to 60 NM due to a severe thunderstorm capable of producing waterspouts.

Read this weather record in 30 seconds

Record type
Special Marine Warning
Affected area
Waters from Cape Lookout to Surf City NC
Issued
May 19, 2026
Issuing authority
NWS Newport/Morehead City NC

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 3 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Waters from Cape Lookout to Surf City NC.

Alert Details

A Special Marine Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City NC. The alert is effective from May 11, 2026 at 5:09 PM EDT until May 11, 2026 at 6:15 PM EDT.

Affected Areas

Waters from Cape Lookout to Surf City NC from 20 to 60 NM.

What You Should Do

Thunderstorms can produce sudden waterspouts. Waterspouts can easily overturn boats and create locally hazardous seas. Seek safe harbor immediately.

Expected Conditions

A severe thunderstorm capable of producing waterspouts was located 36 nm south of 14 Buoy, moving southeast at 25 knots. Hazards include waterspouts and wind gusts to 40 knots.

Timeline

The warning is in effect from May 11, 2026 at 5:09 PM EDT and expires at 6:15 PM EDT the same day. The severe thunderstorm will remain over mainly open waters.

Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗

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Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this NWS weather alert: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this NWS weather alert.

What is this NWS weather alert about?
The National Weather Service has issued a Special Marine Warning for waters from Cape Lookout to Surf City NC from 20 to 60 NM due to a severe thunderstorm capable of producing waterspouts.
Which agency issued this alert?
This alert was issued by NOAA. The original notice is available at the source link at the bottom of this article.
How severe is this alert?
This alert is classified as "high" severity. Take precautions and monitor for updates.
What area is affected?
This alert affects Waters from Cape Lookout to Surf City NC. Check with NOAA for the most current geographic scope.
Where can I find more Weather Alerts updates?
Browse the full Weather Alerts feed on Areazine at areazine.com/weather/ for the latest updates from NOAA and other agencies.