🌊 US Weather Warriors MarineCast — Friday, June 12, 2026
Strong cells with hail and rotation are tracking onshore near Cape Charles this morning, and a building south wind sets up hazardous conditions by Sunday.
Today on the Water: Heat Advisory in effect until 8 PM for the southern Delmarva and Tidewater zones — hydrate hard and watch for heat stress on deck. Radar is showing three intense cells (57-60 dBZ) within 10-11 nm of Cape Charles, two with mesocyclones and 80-90% hail probability, all moving W to WSW onshore. Anyone on the lower Bay or southern coastal waters should be in port until those cells clear.
Atlantic Coastal Waters (Lewes → southern VA coast): Light and manageable through today and into tonight. The trouble arrives Sunday: S winds 15-20 kt gusting 25, seas building 3-4 ft with occasional 6-footers, showers and a chance of thunderstorms. Best window out here is Monday night with S 5 kt going NW and seas around 2 ft.
Delaware Bay: Quiet today and Saturday night with SW around 5 kt and seas a foot or less. Sunday afternoon winds crank to S 15-20 kt gusting 25, seas climbing from 1 ft to 2-3 ft at 4 seconds with a chance of showers.
Chesapeake Bay & Delmarva-facing Waters: NW 5 kt and waves under a foot Saturday — the cleanest window of the period. Sunday afternoon SE builds to 15-20 kt gusting 25 with 3 ft seas at 5 seconds, then S 15-20 kt gusting 25 Sunday night with showers and a chance of storms before shifting W after midnight. LWX flags potential brief near-SCA behind the cold front tonight into Saturday.
Wind & Seas Outlook: Peak winds Sunday afternoon through Sunday night with gusts to 25 kt across all three zones. Peak seas Sunday night on the Atlantic side, 3-4 ft with occasional 6 ft.
Marine Alerts:
- Heat Advisory until 8:00 PM EDT today (NWS Wakefield) — southern Delmarva and Tidewater zones.
Best Window to be Out: Saturday on the Chesapeake — NW 5 kt, waves under a foot. Get the early start to dodge the afternoon heat.
Worst Window: Sunday afternoon through Sunday night — gusts to 25 kt, building seas, and thunderstorm potential.
Bottom Line: Today and Saturday are workable if you stay clear of the Cape Charles cells and respect the heat — Sunday is a stay-home day.
— US Weather Warriors #DelmarvaWeather #MarineWeather #BoatingWeather