🌊 US Weather Warriors MarineCast — Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Small Craft Advisory up on the Chesapeake through Wednesday 6 AM as southerly winds build across the waters.
Today on the Water: SCA in effect on the Chesapeake from north of Pooles Island down to Smith Point VA, plus the Chester, Eastern Bay, and Choptank tribs — through 6 AM Wednesday. Southerly flow strengthens through the day. An Extreme Heat Watch is also up for Kent, Sussex, Delaware Beaches, and the upper Eastern Shore — hydrate and plan for sun exposure.
Atlantic Coastal Waters (Lewes → southern VA coast): E winds 5-10 kt this morning, backing SE late. Seas 2-3 ft on a mixed 10-second E swell and shorter 5-second SE wind wave. The lightest conditions of the next several days are right now — Wednesday afternoon ramps to S 15-20 kt with gusts to 25 and seas building to 4 ft.
Delaware Bay: S winds 5-10 kt early, shifting SE 10-15 kt with gusts to 20 kt late. Seas 1 ft or less this morning, building to 1-2 ft this afternoon. Morning is your window before the late-day pickup.
Chesapeake Bay & Delmarva-facing Waters: SCA conditions through midday — southerly winds and a building chop. Wednesday brings S 10-15 kt gusting 20, waves 2-3 ft on a short 3-second period. LWX notes additional SCAs may be needed Wednesday afternoon and evening.
Wind & Seas Outlook: Peak winds Wednesday afternoon (S 15-20 kt, gusts 25). Peak seas Wednesday on the Atlantic side at 2-4 ft. Things lay down by Saturday.
Marine Alerts:
- Small Craft Advisory — Chesapeake Bay (Pooles Island to Smith Point and tribs), until Wednesday 6:00 AM EDT
- Extreme Heat Watch — Kent, Sussex, Delaware Beaches, upper Eastern Shore counties, in effect through July 4
Best Window to be Out: Atlantic side this morning into early afternoon — E 5-10 kt and 2-3 ft seas is the cleanest setup you'll see all week.
Worst Window: Wednesday afternoon and evening — building S winds gusting 25 kt and 4-ft seas offshore.
Radar Note: KDOX shows two weak low-topped cells 15-25 nm NNE of Lewes, drifting WNW around 6 kt — bearing toward the Delaware coast but shallow with no lightning signature. Worth a glance if you're running out of Indian River or Lewes this morning.
Bottom Line: Atlantic anglers and Delaware Bay boaters get a usable morning; Chesapeake skippers under the SCA should stay tied up or stick to protected water until the advisory drops Wednesday morning.
— US Weather Warriors #DelmarvaWeather #MarineWeather #BoatingWeather