Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Morehead City, NC
March 28, 2024 5:15 PM EDT (21:15 UTC) Change Location
Sunrise 6:57 AM Sunset 7:27 PM Moonrise 9:53 PM Moonset 7:30 AM |
AMZ158 S Of Cape Lookout To N Of Surf City Nc Out 20 Nm- 422 Pm Edt Thu Mar 28 2024
.gale warning in effect through Friday morning - .
Tonight - N winds 20 to 25 kt, becoming nw 15 to 20 kt after midnight. Gusts up to 35 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft, except 2 to 4 ft near shore. Dominant period 6 seconds. Adjacent sounds and rivers rough, diminishing to choppy after midnight. A chance of rain with isolated tstms early this evening, then a slight chance of rain late this evening. Vsby 1 to 3 nm early this evening.
Fri - NW winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 30 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft, except 2 to 3 ft near shore. Dominant period 6 seconds. Adjacent sounds and rivers choppy.
Fri night - W winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 30 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft, except 3 to 4 ft near shore. Dominant period 7 seconds. Adjacent sounds and rivers choppy.
Sat - W winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 25 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Dominant period 8 seconds. Adjacent sounds and rivers choppy.
Sat night - SW winds 20 to 25 kt with gusts up to 30 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Adjacent sounds and rivers rough.
Sun - SW winds 15 to 20 kt. Gusts up to 25 kt in the morning. Seas 4 to 6 ft, except 3 to 4 ft near shore. Adjacent sounds and rivers choppy.
Sun night - SW winds 15 to 20 kt. Gusts up to 25 kt in the evening. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Adjacent sounds and rivers choppy.
Mon - SW winds 10 to 15 kt, increasing to 15 to 20 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Adjacent sounds and rivers choppy.
Tue - SW winds 15 to 20 kt, increasing to 20 to 25 kt in the afternoon and evening, then diminishing to 15 to 20 kt after midnight. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Adjacent sounds and rivers choppy, increasing to rough in the afternoon and evening, then diminishing to choppy after midnight. A chance of showers after midnight.
winds and seas higher in and near tstms.
winds and seas higher in and near tstms.
AMZ100 422 Pm Edt Thu Mar 28 2024
Synopsis for eastern north carolina coastal waters - A coastal low and associated frontal system will impact the area through Friday bringing the potental for gale force winds and dangerous seas. High pressure then builds in from the south over the weekend with another frontal passage likely in middle of next week.
Area Discussion for - Newport/Morehead City, NC
  (hide/show)  HelpNOTE: mouseover dotted underlined text for definition
FXUS62 KMHX 281847 AFDMHX
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC 247 PM EDT Thu Mar 28 2024
SYNOPSIS
A coastal low will move along the Crystal Coast today, followed quickly by a cold front passage. High pressure then builds in from the south over the weekend with another frontal passage likely early next week.
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
As of 145 PM Thursday...
Based on surface and marine obs, and objective analysis, an ~1006mb surface low is located just east of the NC coastline.
Winds on the backside of the low have been slower to respond, but we've finally begun to see an uptick over the past 1-2 hours. Inland, gusts have mainly been in the 20-25 mph range.
Along the coast, gusts have been in the 25-35 mph range. Winds should continue to steadily increase as the low deepens and as the pressure gradient tightens. It still looks like the peak in the winds will be through about 8pm this evening. Overall, I still expect winds to top out a bit below what was originally anticipated.
The shield of light to moderate rain will continue over the area for several more hours, with additional amounts of 0.25"-0.50".
High pressure will build south into the Gulf Coast States tonight. On the northern periphery of the high, a modest gradient will remain in place as the coastal low departs the area. This will keep the boundary layer mixed, and I don't anticipate fog development overnight.
SHORT TERM /FRIDAY/
As of 145 PM Thursday...
The flow on Friday will become westerly in the wake of today's coastal low. A downsloping flow, plenty of sunshine, and improved mixing will support warm and breezy conditions. BUFKIT momentum transfer guidance suggests wind gusts could top out in the 25-30+ mph range. This is a bit higher than the previous forecast. Given the additional warming and mixing associated with the downsloping flow, the increase in winds seems reasonable, so I bumped winds and temps up a bit.
LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
As of 330 AM Thurs...High pressure remains in place through the weekend resulting in benign weather across ENC. Next potential frontal boundary then impacts the area early to mid week next week.
Friday night through Sunday... Upper level trough will be to the north and east of the Carolinas to start the period and continue to push further away while zonal flow sets up aloft through Sat before broad upper ridging extends over ENC on Sun.
At the surface, a ridge of high pressure builds in from the south and west and extends over the Carolinas to start our weekend.
Zonal flow remains overhead on Sat with a weak mid level shortwave riding along this flow to our north. At the surface associated frontal boundary will be located to the north with a weak low riding E'wards along the front while surface ridging continues to extend N'wards into the Carolinas. While we expect to remain precip free on Sat some additional cloud cover may begin to sneak into our northern zones Sat afternoon and evening, though with breezy SW'rly surface winds and increasing low level thicknesses expecting a rather pleasant day overall with high temps getting into the mid 70s inland and upper 60s along the OBX, while lows remain rather warm Sat night only getting down into the mid 50s. As we step into Sunday upper ridging briefly builds overhead as a positively tilted upper trough begins to dig into the western CONUS. At the surface, ridging begins to slide off to the east while pesky surface front to our north dips slightly S'wards nearing the CWA Sun evening with yet another weak surface low riding E'wards along the boundary, this will allow additional cloud cover to build further south across the area, though we expect to generally remain precip free Sun as well. Highs get into the low 80s inland and near 70 across the OBX.
Monday through midweek next week...Upper level trough quickly pushes E'wards nearing the Eastern Seaboard by midweek.
Associated low and cold front also quickly march E'wards on Mon bringing our next best threat for precip on Tue. Front quickly pushes offshore by Wed with fair weather forecast to return from Wed onwards. Temps generally remain above avg on Mon and Tue with near avg temps forecast behind the frontal passage on Wed.
AVIATION /19Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
SHORT TERM /through 18z Friday/...
As of 1230 PM Thursday...
KEY MESSAGES
1) IFR conditions last through late-afternoon or early this evening
2) Gusty winds this afternoon and again on Friday
FORECAST DETAILS
Low pressure will continue to pull away from the coast this afternoon, with widespread RA gradually pushing off the coast by this evening. Gusty N/NW winds will develop this afternoon as the low deepens, then gradually decrease this evening as the low pulls further away. With good mixing on Friday, gusty winds will redevelop during peak heating. Gusts today will top out in the 25-35kt range, then top out in the 20-25kt range on Friday.
CIGs will remain at, or just above, IFR for most of the afternoon, then gradually rise to MVFR by this evening. VFR conditions are then expected by late this evening or tonight as clouds move out. Despite lighter winds tonight, the risk of fog appears low due to 5-15kt winds lasting through the night.
LONG TERM /Friday through Tuesday/...
As of 330 AM Thurs...Expecting predominantly VFR conditions through much of the period as high pressure ridging builds in from the south. We will see some gusty W to SW'rly winds in the afternoon on Sat with gusts above 20 kts possible, as the pressure gradient takes a few days to relax behind a departing low pressure system. Next potential threat for some sub-VFR ceilings or vis look to be Mon night into Tues with the approach of our next frontal boundary.
MARINE
SHORT TERM /through Friday/...
As of 145 PM Thursday...
An ~1006mb surface low was located just off the coast of ENC this afternoon, and is moving east away from the area. The low continues to be slower to deepen, but winds across area waters have finally responded, with gusts of 25-35kt now being observed. Winds will continue to increase through tonight, with an increased risk of northerly gales. The forecast is tracking well, and at this time, no significant changes appear to be necessary. Winds will lay down some tonight, then build again on Friday as a second surge of west/northwest winds develops associated with a renewed tightening of the pressure gradient.
Seas of 5-6 ft this afternoon will quickly build to 8-10 ft by tonight, and then remain elevated into Friday thanks to continued gusty winds. We'll plan to keep the current marine headlines as-is, but some adjustments to timing will likely be needed if the current wind trends hold. The main adjustments will be potentially shortening the duration of gales, but we'll wait to see if the winds do, indeed, come down as quick as some of the recent guidance shows.
LONG TERM /Friday night through Tuesday/...
As of 330AM Thursday...Marine headlines quickly drop from W to E Sat into Sun as winds ease further with winds becoming SW'rly and decreasing down to 5-15 kts by Sun and generally remain around these speeds through early next week. Seas start out around 6-9 ft on Fri but then quickly lower with the lighter winds on Sat down to 4-7 ft with seas forecast to fall to 2-5 ft by Sun.
HYDROLOGY
As of 1030 AM Thursday...
Widespread 0.50"-1.50" of rain has been observed thus far across Eastern NC, with radar estimating amounts as high as 2". The heaviest rainfall has been focused across the southwestern half of ENC, with lighter amounts up towards the Albemarle Sound and NRN OBX vicinity. These amounts have, thus far, been lower than forecast. The heaviest rain is beginning to shift offshore, with periods of light to moderate rain continuing into the late afternoon hours. With rainfall rates expected to decrease, it appears the risk of flash flooding is decreasing. However, we'll plan to keep the Flood Watch going for now as rivers and creeks will continue to respond, and there may be some lingering flooding of low-lying and poor drainage areas.
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING
As of 245 PM Wednesday...
Winds have finally begun to respond to low pressure deepening offshore this afternoon. With the increase in winds, soundside water levels are beginning to rise across Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands. Water levels are rising earlier than anticipated, therefore with this update, we'll start the Coastal Flood Advisory now (instead of the original 8pm start time). The overall spirit of the forecast hasn't changed, though, and for now we still anticipate minor coastal flooding impacts for soundside locations of Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands.
As the low pulls away, another round of large, breaking waves and ocean overwash will impact oceanside areas from Ocracoke north through the Northern Outer Banks. Though seas are quite a bit lower this morning, generally around 5-6 ft across the Northern Outer Banks and down towards Ocracoke., seas will rapidly increase this afternoon with long period 5-9 ft seas forecast. As a result have kept the high surf advisory in effect through Friday morning. After Friday morning aforementioned low pressure will quickly pull away from the area resulting in seas lowering down to 4-6 ft and thus ending the high surf threat.
MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NC...Flood Watch until 8 PM EDT this evening for NCZ029-044>047- 079>081-090>092-094-193>196-198-199-203>205.
High Surf Advisory until 8 AM EDT Friday for NCZ203-205.
Coastal Flood Advisory until 2 PM EDT Friday for NCZ204-205.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 10 AM EDT Friday for AMZ131-230-231.
Gale Warning until 3 AM EDT Friday for AMZ135.
Small Craft Advisory until 4 AM EDT Friday for AMZ136-137.
Gale Warning until 7 AM EDT Friday for AMZ150.
Gale Warning until 9 AM EDT Friday for AMZ152-154.
Gale Warning until 8 AM EDT Friday for AMZ156-158.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City NC 247 PM EDT Thu Mar 28 2024
SYNOPSIS
A coastal low will move along the Crystal Coast today, followed quickly by a cold front passage. High pressure then builds in from the south over the weekend with another frontal passage likely early next week.
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/
As of 145 PM Thursday...
Based on surface and marine obs, and objective analysis, an ~1006mb surface low is located just east of the NC coastline.
Winds on the backside of the low have been slower to respond, but we've finally begun to see an uptick over the past 1-2 hours. Inland, gusts have mainly been in the 20-25 mph range.
Along the coast, gusts have been in the 25-35 mph range. Winds should continue to steadily increase as the low deepens and as the pressure gradient tightens. It still looks like the peak in the winds will be through about 8pm this evening. Overall, I still expect winds to top out a bit below what was originally anticipated.
The shield of light to moderate rain will continue over the area for several more hours, with additional amounts of 0.25"-0.50".
High pressure will build south into the Gulf Coast States tonight. On the northern periphery of the high, a modest gradient will remain in place as the coastal low departs the area. This will keep the boundary layer mixed, and I don't anticipate fog development overnight.
SHORT TERM /FRIDAY/
As of 145 PM Thursday...
The flow on Friday will become westerly in the wake of today's coastal low. A downsloping flow, plenty of sunshine, and improved mixing will support warm and breezy conditions. BUFKIT momentum transfer guidance suggests wind gusts could top out in the 25-30+ mph range. This is a bit higher than the previous forecast. Given the additional warming and mixing associated with the downsloping flow, the increase in winds seems reasonable, so I bumped winds and temps up a bit.
LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
As of 330 AM Thurs...High pressure remains in place through the weekend resulting in benign weather across ENC. Next potential frontal boundary then impacts the area early to mid week next week.
Friday night through Sunday... Upper level trough will be to the north and east of the Carolinas to start the period and continue to push further away while zonal flow sets up aloft through Sat before broad upper ridging extends over ENC on Sun.
At the surface, a ridge of high pressure builds in from the south and west and extends over the Carolinas to start our weekend.
Zonal flow remains overhead on Sat with a weak mid level shortwave riding along this flow to our north. At the surface associated frontal boundary will be located to the north with a weak low riding E'wards along the front while surface ridging continues to extend N'wards into the Carolinas. While we expect to remain precip free on Sat some additional cloud cover may begin to sneak into our northern zones Sat afternoon and evening, though with breezy SW'rly surface winds and increasing low level thicknesses expecting a rather pleasant day overall with high temps getting into the mid 70s inland and upper 60s along the OBX, while lows remain rather warm Sat night only getting down into the mid 50s. As we step into Sunday upper ridging briefly builds overhead as a positively tilted upper trough begins to dig into the western CONUS. At the surface, ridging begins to slide off to the east while pesky surface front to our north dips slightly S'wards nearing the CWA Sun evening with yet another weak surface low riding E'wards along the boundary, this will allow additional cloud cover to build further south across the area, though we expect to generally remain precip free Sun as well. Highs get into the low 80s inland and near 70 across the OBX.
Monday through midweek next week...Upper level trough quickly pushes E'wards nearing the Eastern Seaboard by midweek.
Associated low and cold front also quickly march E'wards on Mon bringing our next best threat for precip on Tue. Front quickly pushes offshore by Wed with fair weather forecast to return from Wed onwards. Temps generally remain above avg on Mon and Tue with near avg temps forecast behind the frontal passage on Wed.
AVIATION /19Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
SHORT TERM /through 18z Friday/...
As of 1230 PM Thursday...
KEY MESSAGES
1) IFR conditions last through late-afternoon or early this evening
2) Gusty winds this afternoon and again on Friday
FORECAST DETAILS
Low pressure will continue to pull away from the coast this afternoon, with widespread RA gradually pushing off the coast by this evening. Gusty N/NW winds will develop this afternoon as the low deepens, then gradually decrease this evening as the low pulls further away. With good mixing on Friday, gusty winds will redevelop during peak heating. Gusts today will top out in the 25-35kt range, then top out in the 20-25kt range on Friday.
CIGs will remain at, or just above, IFR for most of the afternoon, then gradually rise to MVFR by this evening. VFR conditions are then expected by late this evening or tonight as clouds move out. Despite lighter winds tonight, the risk of fog appears low due to 5-15kt winds lasting through the night.
LONG TERM /Friday through Tuesday/...
As of 330 AM Thurs...Expecting predominantly VFR conditions through much of the period as high pressure ridging builds in from the south. We will see some gusty W to SW'rly winds in the afternoon on Sat with gusts above 20 kts possible, as the pressure gradient takes a few days to relax behind a departing low pressure system. Next potential threat for some sub-VFR ceilings or vis look to be Mon night into Tues with the approach of our next frontal boundary.
MARINE
SHORT TERM /through Friday/...
As of 145 PM Thursday...
An ~1006mb surface low was located just off the coast of ENC this afternoon, and is moving east away from the area. The low continues to be slower to deepen, but winds across area waters have finally responded, with gusts of 25-35kt now being observed. Winds will continue to increase through tonight, with an increased risk of northerly gales. The forecast is tracking well, and at this time, no significant changes appear to be necessary. Winds will lay down some tonight, then build again on Friday as a second surge of west/northwest winds develops associated with a renewed tightening of the pressure gradient.
Seas of 5-6 ft this afternoon will quickly build to 8-10 ft by tonight, and then remain elevated into Friday thanks to continued gusty winds. We'll plan to keep the current marine headlines as-is, but some adjustments to timing will likely be needed if the current wind trends hold. The main adjustments will be potentially shortening the duration of gales, but we'll wait to see if the winds do, indeed, come down as quick as some of the recent guidance shows.
LONG TERM /Friday night through Tuesday/...
As of 330AM Thursday...Marine headlines quickly drop from W to E Sat into Sun as winds ease further with winds becoming SW'rly and decreasing down to 5-15 kts by Sun and generally remain around these speeds through early next week. Seas start out around 6-9 ft on Fri but then quickly lower with the lighter winds on Sat down to 4-7 ft with seas forecast to fall to 2-5 ft by Sun.
HYDROLOGY
As of 1030 AM Thursday...
Widespread 0.50"-1.50" of rain has been observed thus far across Eastern NC, with radar estimating amounts as high as 2". The heaviest rainfall has been focused across the southwestern half of ENC, with lighter amounts up towards the Albemarle Sound and NRN OBX vicinity. These amounts have, thus far, been lower than forecast. The heaviest rain is beginning to shift offshore, with periods of light to moderate rain continuing into the late afternoon hours. With rainfall rates expected to decrease, it appears the risk of flash flooding is decreasing. However, we'll plan to keep the Flood Watch going for now as rivers and creeks will continue to respond, and there may be some lingering flooding of low-lying and poor drainage areas.
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING
As of 245 PM Wednesday...
Winds have finally begun to respond to low pressure deepening offshore this afternoon. With the increase in winds, soundside water levels are beginning to rise across Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands. Water levels are rising earlier than anticipated, therefore with this update, we'll start the Coastal Flood Advisory now (instead of the original 8pm start time). The overall spirit of the forecast hasn't changed, though, and for now we still anticipate minor coastal flooding impacts for soundside locations of Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands.
As the low pulls away, another round of large, breaking waves and ocean overwash will impact oceanside areas from Ocracoke north through the Northern Outer Banks. Though seas are quite a bit lower this morning, generally around 5-6 ft across the Northern Outer Banks and down towards Ocracoke., seas will rapidly increase this afternoon with long period 5-9 ft seas forecast. As a result have kept the high surf advisory in effect through Friday morning. After Friday morning aforementioned low pressure will quickly pull away from the area resulting in seas lowering down to 4-6 ft and thus ending the high surf threat.
MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
NC...Flood Watch until 8 PM EDT this evening for NCZ029-044>047- 079>081-090>092-094-193>196-198-199-203>205.
High Surf Advisory until 8 AM EDT Friday for NCZ203-205.
Coastal Flood Advisory until 2 PM EDT Friday for NCZ204-205.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 10 AM EDT Friday for AMZ131-230-231.
Gale Warning until 3 AM EDT Friday for AMZ135.
Small Craft Advisory until 4 AM EDT Friday for AMZ136-137.
Gale Warning until 7 AM EDT Friday for AMZ150.
Gale Warning until 9 AM EDT Friday for AMZ152-154.
Gale Warning until 8 AM EDT Friday for AMZ156-158.
Stations | Dist | Age | Wind | Air Temp | Water Temp | Waves | inHg | DewPt |
BFTN7 - 8656483 - Beaufort, NC | 3 mi | 45 min | N 8G | 53°F | 58°F | 29.79 | ||
CLKN7 - Cape Lookout, NC | 13 mi | 75 min | N 20G | 53°F | 29.80 | |||
41064 | 37 mi | 67 min | N 21G | 58°F | 69°F | 29.80 | 56°F | |
41159 | 37 mi | 19 min | 68°F | 6 ft |
toggle option: (graph/table)
Airport Reports
EDIT (hide/show)  Help Click EDIT to display multiple airports. Follow links for more data.Airport | Dist | Age | Wind kt | Vis | Sky | Weather | Temp | DewPt | RH | inHg |
KMRH MICHAEL J SMITH FIELD,NC | 4 sm | 7 min | N 14G23 | 6 sm | Overcast | Lt Rain Mist | 54°F | 52°F | 94% | 29.80 |
KNKT CHERRY POINT MCAS /CUNNINGHAM FIELD/,NC | 15 sm | 12 min | N 16 | 6 sm | Overcast | Lt Rain Mist | 52°F | 50°F | 94% | 29.83 |
KNJM BOGUE FIELD MCALF,NC | 16 sm | 18 min | N 13G20 | 5 sm | Overcast | Lt Rain Mist | 52°F | 50°F | 94% | 29.80 |
Tide / Current for Atlantic Beach Bridge, North Carolina
EDIT Weekend mode (on/off) (hide/show)  Help
Atlantic Beach Bridge
Click for Map
Thu -- 05:07 AM EDT 0.21 feet Low Tide
Thu -- 06:58 AM EDT Sunrise
Thu -- 08:30 AM EDT Moonset
Thu -- 10:54 AM EDT 2.30 feet High Tide
Thu -- 05:01 PM EDT 0.23 feet Low Tide
Thu -- 07:25 PM EDT Sunset
Thu -- 10:53 PM EDT Moonrise
Thu -- 11:08 PM EDT 2.63 feet High Tide
Tide / Current data from XTide NOT FOR NAVIGATION
Click for Map
Thu -- 05:07 AM EDT 0.21 feet Low Tide
Thu -- 06:58 AM EDT Sunrise
Thu -- 08:30 AM EDT Moonset
Thu -- 10:54 AM EDT 2.30 feet High Tide
Thu -- 05:01 PM EDT 0.23 feet Low Tide
Thu -- 07:25 PM EDT Sunset
Thu -- 10:53 PM EDT Moonrise
Thu -- 11:08 PM EDT 2.63 feet High Tide
Tide / Current data from XTide NOT FOR NAVIGATION
Atlantic Beach Bridge, North Carolina, Tide feet
12 am |
2.4 |
1 am |
1.9 |
2 am |
1.3 |
3 am |
0.8 |
4 am |
0.4 |
5 am |
0.2 |
6 am |
0.3 |
7 am |
0.7 |
8 am |
1.3 |
9 am |
1.8 |
10 am |
2.2 |
11 am |
2.3 |
12 pm |
2.1 |
1 pm |
1.8 |
2 pm |
1.3 |
3 pm |
0.7 |
4 pm |
0.4 |
5 pm |
0.2 |
6 pm |
0.4 |
7 pm |
0.8 |
8 pm |
1.4 |
9 pm |
2 |
10 pm |
2.4 |
11 pm |
2.6 |
Tide / Current data from XTide NOT FOR NAVIGATION
Channel Marker Lt. %2359, North Carolina, Tide feet
Morehead City, NC,
NOTICE: Some pages have affiliate links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read website Cookie, Privacy, and Disclamers by clicking HERE. To contact me click HERE. For my YouTube page click HERE