🌊 US Weather Warriors MarineCast — Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Small Craft Advisories are up across Delmarva waters as southerly winds build, seas turn choppy, and thunderstorms become increasingly likely later today.
Today on the Water:
Small Craft Advisories cover the Atlantic, Delaware Bay, and Chesapeake Bay zones, with several continuing into Wednesday morning.
South winds strengthen this afternoon, with rougher conditions carrying into tonight as showers and thunderstorms move through.
Radar shows one cell 46 miles NNW of Wilmington; no motion information is available.
Atlantic Coastal Waters (Lewes → southern VA coast):
South winds increase from 10 to 15 knots, gusting 20 knots, to 15 to 20 knots with gusts up to 30 knots this afternoon.
Seas build to 2 to 4 feet, with southeast waves at 4 feet every 6 seconds. Showers and thunderstorms become likely late.
Delaware Bay:
South winds become 15 to 20 knots tonight with gusts up to 25 knots, then turn west at 10 to 15 knots after midnight.
Waves reach 2 to 3 feet; showers and thunderstorms are likely this evening, followed by a chance of showers overnight.
Chesapeake Bay & Delmarva-facing Waters:
South winds rise to 15 to 20 knots with gusts up to 25 knots this afternoon.
Waves include south chop near 2 feet every 3 seconds, plus east waves around 1 foot every 7 seconds. Thunderstorms are likely late today and this evening; winds turn west, then northwest, overnight.
Wind & Seas Outlook:
The peak period is this afternoon through tonight, with the strongest gusts offshore and choppy conditions across all waters.
The lightest conditions in the available forecast are Friday Night: southwest winds near 5 knots offshore and 2-foot seas; Bay winds near 5 knots with waves around 1 foot.
Marine Alerts:
- Coastal Flood Advisory for Anne Arundel until 8:00 AM Tuesday.
- Small Craft Advisory for Delaware Bay until 8:00 PM Tuesday.
- Small Craft Advisory for Chesapeake Bay zones through Tuesday night or 6:00 AM Wednesday.
- Small Craft Advisory for Atlantic waters through 1:00 AM to 6:00 AM Wednesday, depending on zone.
Best Window to be Out: Friday Night offers the best available window, with light winds and lower seas; today is not a favorable small-boat day.
Worst Window: This afternoon through tonight, when gusty south winds, choppy seas, and thunderstorms overlap.
Bottom Line: Hold off on launching today unless your trip is necessary and your vessel can safely handle advisory-level wind, waves, and thunderstorms.
— US Weather Warriors #DelmarvaWeather #MarineWeather #BoatingWeather