Small Craft Advisories extend through mid-week for Cape-Nantucket and Maine coastal zones; southern New England post-storm window pushed to Tuesday at earliest

Update, Tuesday October 13 at 8:00 AM EDT: The Gale Warning for Downeast Maine offshore zones (Waters from Eastport ME to Schoodic Point ME and Waters from Schoodic Point ME to Stonington ME, 25 to 60 nautical miles) expired at 5:00 AM EDT on schedule. NWS Caribou ME (weather.gov/car) issued replacement Small Craft Advisories at 5:35 AM EDT. Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point ME to Stonington ME are now under advisory through 2:00 PM EDT Wednesday, October 14. Coastal Waters from Eastport ME to Schoodic Point ME out 25 nautical miles and Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point ME to Stonington ME out 25 nautical miles both run through 8:00 PM EDT Wednesday, October 14. The offshore Downeast zones from 25 to 60 NM no longer carry a Gale Warning; confirm current conditions on those outer zones at weather.gov/car before any offshore departure from a Downeast port. NWS Boston/Norton MA (weather.gov/box) issued a new Small Craft Advisory at 2:00 AM EDT for two zones: coastal waters extending out to 25 nautical miles south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and coastal waters from Montauk NY to Martha's Vineyard out 20 nautical miles south of Block Island. Both zones now run through 8:00 PM EDT Wednesday, October 14. The prior issuance on these zones carried a Tuesday 8:00 AM EDT expiry; the new issuance adds a full day and a half to that window. Vessels planning Tuesday or Wednesday departures from Montauk, Nantucket Harbor, and Martha's Vineyard approaches are inside active advisory conditions through Wednesday evening; the current zone text at weather.gov/box is the pre-departure check. NWS Upton NY (weather.gov/okx) south shore Long Island and NJ ocean advisories noted in the prior update remain in place through Wednesday. Zone text at weather.gov/car, weather.gov/box, and weather.gov/okx are the pre-departure checks. NWS products are the pre-launch check.

Update, Tuesday October 13 at 4:00 AM EDT: NWS Caribou ME (weather.gov/car) issued a Gale Warning for two Downeast Maine offshore zones effective through 5:00 AM EDT Tuesday: Waters from Eastport ME to Schoodic Point ME from 25 to 60 nautical miles, and Waters from Schoodic Point ME to Stonington ME from 25 to 60 nautical miles. A Gale Warning means sustained winds of 34 to 47 knots are forecast in those offshore bands. No offshore departure from Downeast Maine ports into waters beyond 25 NM is appropriate until the warning expires at 5:00 AM EDT. The coastal zones from Eastport to Stonington out 25 NM remain under Small Craft Advisory through 8:00 PM EDT Wednesday, October 14, as reported in the October 12 update below. Zone text at weather.gov/car is the pre-departure check for Downeast Maine waters. NWS Upton NY (weather.gov/okx) also issued new Small Craft Advisories for south shore Long Island and NJ ocean zones, extending coverage past the 6:00 AM EDT Tuesday window noted in the prior update. South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay and Sandy Hook NJ to Fire Island Inlet NY out 20 nautical miles are under advisory through 6:00 AM EDT Wednesday, October 14. Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet out 20 NM runs through 9:00 AM EDT Wednesday. Moriches Inlet to Montauk Point out 20 NM continues through noon Wednesday. Tuesday departures from south shore NJ and Long Island inlets are inside active advisory conditions through at least mid-day Wednesday on the outermost zones. Zone text at weather.gov/okx is the pre-departure check for each NJ and Long Island zone. NWS products are the pre-launch check.

Update, Monday October 12 at 11:54 PM EDT: NWS Upton NY (weather.gov/okx) issued a Small Craft Advisory for Coastal Waters from Moriches Inlet NY to Montauk Point NY out 20 nautical miles, effective through 6:00 AM EDT Tuesday, October 13. North winds 15 to 20 knots with gusts to 25 knots, becoming northwest 5 to 10 knots late; seas 6 to 9 feet, occasionally to 11 feet. The zone covers the offshore corridor from the eastern end of Fire Island south shore through Shinnecock Inlet and out to Montauk Point. Vessels planning an early Tuesday departure from Shinnecock or Montauk are inside active advisory conditions until 6:00 AM EDT. Conditions are forecast to ease before the standard morning charter window; the 4:00 AM EDT NWS package at weather.gov/okx is the pre-departure check for any early run. NWS products are the pre-launch check.

Update, Monday October 12 at 2:50 PM EDT: NWS Boston/Norton MA (weather.gov/box) re-issued Small Craft Advisories at 2:50 PM EDT for Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound, extending both zones to 1:00 AM EDT Tuesday, October 13, two hours past the 11:00 PM EDT Monday window stated in the 2:11 AM EDT overnight issuance. Evening and overnight departures from Galilee, Point Judith, Newport, Bristol, and Block Island Harbor remain inside active advisory conditions through early Tuesday morning. The zones south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket (out 25 NM) and from Montauk NY to Martha's Vineyard (out 20 NM south of Block Island) are unchanged at 8:00 AM EDT Tuesday per the same issuance. The Provincetown-to-Chatham-to-Nantucket zone remains through 8:00 PM EDT Wednesday, October 14. Zone text at weather.gov/box is the pre-departure check for each zone. NWS products are the pre-launch check.

Update, Monday October 12 at 2:26 PM EDT: NWS Gray ME (weather.gov/gyx) issued a Gale Warning for the Waters from Stonington ME to Port Clyde ME from 25 to 60 nautical miles, effective through 5:00 AM EDT Tuesday, October 13. This is the offshore zone covering the Penobscot Bay approach, the Matinicus Island corridor, and the grounds used for school bluefin tuna and offshore pelagic trips departing from Rockland, Port Clyde, and Tenants Harbor. A Gale Warning means sustained winds of 34 to 47 knots are forecast; vessels should remain in port or seek safe harbor. Any mid-coast Maine offshore departure beyond 25 NM should wait until after the warning expires Tuesday morning. NWS Gray ME also re-issued the Small Craft Advisory for the three inshore zones at the same time: Coastal Waters from Stonington ME to Port Clyde ME out 25 NM, Coastal Waters from Port Clyde ME to Cape Elizabeth ME out 25 NM, and Coastal Waters from Cape Elizabeth ME to Merrimack River MA out 25 NM, all through 2:00 PM EDT Wednesday, October 14. The zone forecast at weather.gov/gyx is the pre-departure check for any mid-coast Maine departure.

Update, Monday October 12 at 3:18 AM EDT: NWS Caribou ME (weather.gov/car) issued Small Craft Advisories for Downeast Maine, effective Monday evening through Wednesday. Coastal Waters from Eastport ME to Schoodic Point ME out 25 nautical miles and Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point ME to Stonington ME out 25 nautical miles run from 6:00 PM EDT Monday, October 12 through 8:00 PM EDT Wednesday, October 14, with east winds 15 to 25 knots, gusts to 30 knots, and seas 5 to 8 feet. Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point ME to Stonington ME run from 8:00 PM EDT Monday through 2:00 PM EDT Wednesday, with east winds 10 to 20 knots and seas 4 to 6 feet. The advisory covers the Downeast corridor from Eastport south through Lubec, Jonesport, Milbridge, Winter Harbor, and the Schoodic Peninsula to Stonington. Vessels planning Tuesday or Wednesday departures from any Downeast port should check the current zone forecast at weather.gov/car before leaving the dock.

Update, Monday October 12 at 2:14 AM EDT: NWS Gray ME (weather.gov/gyx) issued Small Craft Advisories for three mid-coast Maine zones through 2:00 PM EDT Wednesday, October 14: Coastal Waters from Stonington ME to Port Clyde ME out 25 nautical miles; Coastal Waters from Port Clyde ME to Cape Elizabeth ME out 25 nautical miles; and Coastal Waters from Cape Elizabeth ME to Merrimack River MA out 25 nautical miles. The advisory covers the full mid-coast and south-coast Maine corridor: Rockland, Port Clyde, Tenants Harbor, Boothbay Harbor, Bath, Portland, and ports south to the New Hampshire border are inside the advisory through Wednesday afternoon. Maine mid-coast waters have held advisory conditions on and off since the October 6 Gale Warning; this issuance extends that run through Wednesday. Vessels planning Tuesday departures from mid-coast or southern Maine ports should pull the current zone forecast at weather.gov/gyx before leaving the dock.

Update, Monday October 12 at 2:11 AM EDT: NWS Boston/Norton MA re-issued Small Craft Advisories for southern New England zones, extending several beyond the original Monday 8:00 PM EDT expiry. The coastal waters from Provincetown MA to Chatham MA to Nantucket MA out 20 nautical miles now run through 8:00 PM EDT Wednesday, October 14, two full days beyond the original window. Coastal waters south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket (out 25 NM) and the Montauk NY to Martha's Vineyard zone (out 20 NM south of Block Island) run through 8:00 AM EDT Tuesday, October 13. Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound extend through 11:00 PM EDT Monday, October 12. The Provincetown-to-Nantucket outer Cape corridor is the zone most significantly extended: Tuesday and Wednesday departures from Provincetown, Chatham, Nantucket Harbor, and the outer Cape approach routes fall inside active advisory conditions. The zone text at weather.gov/box is the specific pre-departure check for each zone.

NWS Boston/Norton MA (weather.gov/box) re-issued Small Craft Advisories at 2:12 AM EDT Sunday, October 11, for five southern New England offshore and sound zones. All five run through 8:00 PM EDT Monday, October 12: Rhode Island Sound; Block Island Sound; coastal waters from Provincetown MA to Chatham MA to Nantucket MA out 20 nautical miles; coastal waters extending 25 nautical miles south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket; and coastal waters from Montauk NY to Martha's Vineyard out 20 nautical miles south of Block Island. The initial advisories for these zones were issued Saturday afternoon at 2:46 PM EDT; the 2:12 AM EDT re-issuance confirms advisory conditions persist through the full Columbus Day Monday window.

The zones cover the main departure corridors for southern New England offshore and coastal fishing. Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound include the approaches from Galilee, Point Judith, Newport, Bristol, and the Providence River outlets. Block Island Harbor, the traditional fall albie port, is inside the advisory. The Provincetown-Chatham-Nantucket zone covers the Cape Cod offshore approaches, Race Point, and the outer Cape departure corridor; Nantucket Sound and Vineyard Sound access routes fall in the adjacent offshore zone south of the islands. The Montauk-to-Vineyard zone covers the offshore transit commonly used by boats running east from Montauk toward the Cape Cod and Nantucket grounds. Connecticut and Rhode Island tautog seasons are open, but first viable post-storm departures from any of these ports fall after the advisory expires Monday evening, at the earliest.

A Small Craft Advisory indicates sustained winds of 21 to 33 knots or combined seas of 7 feet or more. The advisory expiry at 8:00 PM EDT Monday means advisory conditions are forecast to persist through Monday evening; the first realistic southern New England departure window is Tuesday morning, subject to the zone text at that time. The zone text at weather.gov/box is the specific pre-departure check, not this summary. NWS Boston issues main marine forecasts at approximately 4 AM and 4 PM local time; check the Tuesday 4 AM package before any Tuesday departure.

This advisory is part of the same Columbus Day storm system affecting the full Atlantic coast from Florida through New England. The main storm watch story on this site has full context on the event; the post-storm departure check piece covers how to read zone text for the first viable post-storm window. Maine coastal waters from the Merrimack River north through mid-coast and Casco Bay are covered by NWS Gray ME at weather.gov/gyx. Downeast Maine zones from Stonington north to Eastport and the New Brunswick border fall under NWS Caribou ME at weather.gov/car. NWS Upton NY at weather.gov/okx covers Long Island Sound and the NY Bight, where separate Small Craft Advisories remain in effect through Tuesday. NWS Boston products for southern New England are at weather.gov/box. NWS products are the pre-launch check.

On the water: Rules and conditions can change quickly. Confirm current regulations and official marine forecasts for your exact trip.