🌊 US Weather Warriors MarineCast — Thursday, July 16, 2026
Light winds and smoky skies today, but a rough SW blow with 7-ft seas is loading up for Saturday night.
Today on the Water: No active marine alerts. Winds stay under 10 kt across the board with seas 2 ft or less on the Atlantic and near-flat inside the bays. Watch visibility — smoke drops it to 1-3 nm on the coastal waters through late afternoon.
Atlantic Coastal Waters (Lewes → southern VA coast): NE 5-10 kt this morning, veering S this afternoon. Seas around 2 ft on a 5-second S swell with a short-period NW component. Smoke cuts visibility to 1-3 nm until late day.
Delaware Bay: NE around 5 kt early, swinging S by late morning. Seas 1 ft or less. Smoke through the morning hours — run with your lights and keep the radar on.
Chesapeake Bay & Delmarva-facing Waters: S around 5 kt, becoming SW late. Waves 1 ft. Areas of smoke. A cold front will waver near the waters over the next few days, setting up the weekend deterioration.
Wind & Seas Outlook: Peak wind arrives Saturday night on the Atlantic — S 15-20 kt building to SW 20-25 kt with gusts to 30 kt. Seas climb to 4-5 ft, occasionally 7 ft, with showers and possible thunderstorms.
Marine Alerts:
- No active marine alerts.
Best Window to be Out: Today, sunrise through mid-afternoon — the flattest water you'll see for days. Reduced visibility from smoke is the only real caveat; slow down in the haze.
Worst Window: Saturday night — SW gusts to 30 kt, seas to 7 ft on the Atlantic, and thunder in the mix.
Bottom Line: Launch today if you can — get your trip in before the front sags in and blows the weekend apart.
— US Weather Warriors #DelmarvaWeather #MarineWeather #BoatingWeather