Special Marine Warning Issued for Waters off North Carolina Coast
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NWS has issued a Special Marine Warning for coastal waters off North Carolina due to severe thunderstorms with wind gusts over 50 knots until 3:15 AM EDT.
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- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- North Carolina Coast
- Issued
- August 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: 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 Newport/Morehead City NC. Effective from August 19 at 1:09 AM EDT until August 19 at 3:15 AM EDT.
Affected Areas
S of Oregon Inlet NC to Cape Hatteras NC out to 20 NM; S of Cape Hatteras NC to Ocracoke Inlet NC out to 20 NM; Waters from Oregon Inlet to Cape Hatteras NC from 20 to 60 NM; Waters from Cape Hatteras to Ocracoke Inlet NC from 20 to 60 NM.
What You Should Do
Boaters should seek safe harbor immediately until these storms pass. If caught on the open water stay below deck if possible, keep away from ungrounded metal objects.
Expected Conditions
Severe thunderstorms located along a line extending from 14 nm east of Engelhard to near Pamlico Sound to near Hatteras Inlet, moving east at 20 knots. Wind gusts in excess of 50 knots. A 53 knot wind gust was reported at the Pamlico Sound WeatherFlow station at 1:04 AM.
Timeline
Alert effective August 19 at 1:09 AM EDT and expires August 19 at 3:15 AM EDT.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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