Small Craft Advisory reissued for Southern New England coastal waters through Friday evening
Updated October 11 at 2:35 PM EDT: NWS Boston/Norton MA issued Small Craft Advisories for Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound, and adjacent offshore zones through 6:00 AM EDT Monday, October 12. Coastal waters from Provincetown MA to Nantucket MA out 20 NM and the Montauk NY to Martha's Vineyard corridor are also under advisory through 6:00 AM EDT Monday. Pre-dawn and early Monday departures from Point Judith, Newport, Watch Hill, and Block Island-area ports are inside active SCA zones. Check weather.gov/box. Prior: Updated October 9 at 8:47 AM EDT: NWS Boston re-issued Small Craft Advisories for all Southern New England zones through 7:00 PM EDT Friday. Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts Bay, Ipswich Bay, Nantucket Sound, Vineyard Sound, Buzzards Bay, Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound, and offshore zones from Provincetown to Block Island all expire at 7:00 PM EDT Friday. Friday departures in this corridor run inside the advisory through early evening.
Update, Sunday October 11 at 2:35 PM EDT: NWS Boston/Norton MA (weather.gov/box) issued Small Craft Advisories at 2:35 PM EDT for the Rhode Island and Eastern Long Island corridor, part of the same Columbus Day nor'easter system that has driven advisories from the Carolinas through the Mid-Atlantic over the weekend. Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound are under advisory through 6:00 AM EDT Monday, October 12. Coastal waters from Provincetown MA to Chatham MA to Nantucket MA out 20 NM and coastal waters extending 25 NM south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket run through 6:00 AM EDT Monday. Coastal waters from Montauk NY to Martha's Vineyard out 20 NM south of Block Island are also under advisory through 6:00 AM EDT Monday. Anglers planning a pre-dawn or early Monday departure from Point Judith, Newport, Watch Hill, Stonington, or Block Island-area ports are inside active SCA zones through the start of the Monday morning fishing window. False albacore and school bluefin tuna remain active in the RI Sound and Block Island corridor in mid-October; the advisory clears by daylight Monday. NWS Boston/Norton MA marine products are at weather.gov/box. This is a conditions notice; the zone text for the specific departure water is the pre-launch check.
Update, Friday October 9 at 8:47 AM EDT: NWS Boston/Norton MA re-issued Small Craft Advisories for all Southern New England zones. Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts Bay, and Ipswich Bay are under advisory through 7:00 PM EDT Friday. Nantucket Sound, Vineyard Sound, Buzzards Bay, Rhode Island Sound, and Block Island Sound run through 7:00 PM EDT Friday. The offshore zones also expire at 7:00 PM EDT: coastal waters east of Ipswich Bay and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary; 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. Friday is a common departure day ahead of Columbus Day weekend. Advisories clear by early evening; the separate Columbus Day weekend storm is forecast to arrive Sunday, October 12, with peak mid-Atlantic and Northeast impacts October 12 through 13. Saturday is the viable departure window ahead of that system, weather permitting. Confirm current zone status at weather.gov/box before any Friday or Saturday departure. This is a conditions notice, not a go/no-go recommendation for any vessel.
Update, Thursday October 8 at 9:10 AM EDT: NWS Boston/Norton MA re-issued Small Craft Advisories for all Southern New England zones, extending every product through 8:00 PM EDT Thursday. The 8 PM expiration applies to Massachusetts Bay, Ipswich Bay, and the coastal waters east of Ipswich Bay and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary; Cape Cod Bay, Nantucket Sound, Vineyard Sound, Buzzards Bay, Rhode Island Sound, and 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 prior 1:18 AM EDT issuance had Massachusetts Bay and Stellwagen Bank expiring at 11:00 AM EDT and the sound and offshore zones expiring at 3:00 PM EDT; this re-issuance pushes all zones five to nine hours later. Afternoon tide windows from Provincetown, Chatham, Vineyard Haven, New Bedford, and Block Island-area ports remain under advisory through early evening. Any crew planning a Thursday afternoon departure into these waters should verify current zone status at weather.gov/box before leaving the dock. This is a conditions notice, not a go/no-go recommendation for any vessel.
Update, Thursday October 8 at 1:18 AM EDT: NWS Boston/Norton MA issued new Small Craft Advisories for Southern New England. Massachusetts Bay, Ipswich Bay, and the coastal waters east of Ipswich Bay and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary are under advisory through 11:00 AM EDT Thursday. Cape Cod Bay, Nantucket Sound, Vineyard Sound, Buzzards Bay, Rhode Island Sound, and Block Island Sound are under advisory through 3:00 PM EDT Thursday. 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 are also under advisory through 3:00 PM EDT. Thursday morning is within the Stellwagen Bank window for school bluefin tuna and the Cape Cod Bay window for fall stripers; departures from Provincetown, Chatham, and Vineyard Haven face advisory conditions through most of the day. The Columbus Day weekend storm, forecast to reach the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast by Sunday, October 12, is a separate system tracking northeast after Gulf Coast landfall. Current NWS Boston marine products are at weather.gov/box.
Update, October 6 at 9:08 AM EDT: NWS Boston/Norton MA issued updated Small Craft Advisory products. The bay and sound zones, including Boston Harbor, Cape Cod Bay, Nantucket Sound, Vineyard Sound, Buzzards Bay, Rhode Island Sound, Narragansett Bay, Block Island Sound, Massachusetts Bay, and Ipswich Bay, are now extended through 1:00 PM EDT Tuesday, five hours later than the 8:00 AM EDT expiration noted in the earlier update. The Stellwagen Bank area and the coastal zone from Provincetown to Nantucket out 20 nautical miles extend to 4:00 PM EDT Tuesday. Offshore zones for waters 25 nautical miles south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and the Montauk-to-Martha's Vineyard corridor, continue through 1:00 PM EDT Tuesday. NWS Boston marine products are at weather.gov/box.
Update, October 6 at 1:55 AM EDT: NWS Boston/Norton MA reissued the Small Craft Advisory for Southern New England. The reissued product extends the bay and sound zones by 30 minutes: Cape Cod Bay, Nantucket Sound, Vineyard Sound, Buzzards Bay, Rhode Island Sound, Block Island Sound, Massachusetts Bay, and Ipswich Bay now expire at 8:00 AM EDT Tuesday, October 6, rather than the earlier 7:30 AM EDT. The offshore coastal zones remain unchanged: the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, coastal waters from Provincetown to Nantucket out 20 nautical miles, coastal waters extending 25 nautical miles south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and the Montauk to Martha's Vineyard corridor out 20 nautical miles south of Block Island all continue through 1:00 PM EDT Tuesday.
NWS Boston issued the original Small Craft Advisory at 6:19 PM EDT on October 5 covering Southern New England bay, sound, and offshore coastal waters, citing northwest winds of 15 to 25 knots and seas of 4 to 6 feet.
An early-morning Tuesday departure in bay and sound zones now runs inside the advisory through most of the peak morning window. Any plan involving the offshore zones faces an advisory that covers the bulk of a half-day trip. Zone conditions and timing can shift before a product expires; the NWS marine forecast for the specific zone is the pre-launch check, not a regional summary.
This is a conditions notice, not a go/no-go recommendation for any vessel. Check the current NWS marine zone forecast, local notices, and conditions at the inlet before launching. NWS Boston marine products and zone forecasts are at weather.gov/box.
On the water: Rules and conditions can change quickly. Confirm current regulations and official marine forecasts for your exact trip.