Coastal Flood Watch reissued for Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach, and Eastern Currituck NC; extended through Tuesday morning

Update, Wednesday October 21 at 3:59 AM EDT: NWS Wakefield VA issued a Coastal Flood Warning at 3:59 AM EDT, upgrading the watch that had been in effect since October 16. The Warning runs through 9:00 AM EDT Wednesday, October 22. A Coastal Flood Warning means flooding is imminent or already occurring; this is a higher threat level than the watch that preceded it. Low-lying waterfront areas, tidal creek margins, marina access roads, and boat ramp approaches along the Virginia Beach shoreline face inundation through Wednesday morning. NDBC station 44088 (Virginia Beach Offshore, VA) recorded 16-foot seas and water at 66 degrees Fahrenheit as of 6:30 AM EST October 21. NDBC station 44099 (Cape Henry, VA) recorded 8-foot seas and water at 65 degrees Fahrenheit as of 6:56 AM EST October 21. Pull the current zone text at weather.gov/akq, not just the advisory headline, for the product currently in effect.

Update, Monday October 19 at 12:19 AM EDT: The Coastal Flood Watch for Eastern Currituck NC and Virginia Beach remains in effect through 9:00 AM EDT Tuesday, October 21. No upgrade to a Coastal Flood Warning has been issued. NDBC station 44088 (Virginia Beach Offshore) recorded 12-foot seas and water at 66 degrees Fahrenheit as of 10:30 PM EST Sunday. Station 44099 (Cape Henry, VA) recorded 8-foot seas and water at 68 degrees Fahrenheit as of 10:26 PM EST. Conditions are consistent with watch-level status; NWS Wakefield VA issues a Warning when flooding is imminent. Pull the current zone text at weather.gov/akq before any departure from Virginia Beach or Eastern Currituck access points Tuesday morning.

Update, Sunday October 18 at 9:56 PM EDT: NWS Wakefield VA reissued a Coastal Flood Watch at 9:56 PM EDT for Eastern Currituck NC and Virginia Beach, with coverage running through 9:00 AM EDT Tuesday, October 21. The reissuance continues the watch that has been in effect since the morning. NDBC station 44088 (Virginia Beach Offshore) recorded 13-foot seas and water at 66 degrees Fahrenheit as of 9:30 PM EST. Station 44099 (Cape Henry, VA) recorded 7-foot seas and water at 68 degrees Fahrenheit as of 9:56 PM EST. The watch status has not changed: NWS Wakefield VA will issue a Coastal Flood Warning if flooding becomes imminent. Boat ramp approaches, tidal creek margins, and waterfront roads across Eastern Currituck and the Virginia Beach corridor remain subject to possible inundation at high tide through Tuesday morning. Pull the current zone text at weather.gov/akq before any departure from Virginia Beach or Eastern Currituck access points.

Update, Sunday October 18 at 5:36 AM EDT: NWS Wakefield VA reissued Coastal Flood Watches at 5:36 AM EDT for Hampton Roads and Virginia Beach coastal zones, extending coverage through Tuesday morning. Surry and James City now run through 10:00 AM EDT October 21. Newport News, Isle of Wight, Virginia Beach, and Eastern Currituck NC run through 9:00 AM EDT October 21. These replace the Saturday evening watches, which cleared at 6:00 AM EDT Sunday. The Gale Warning for the Chesapeake Bay from North Beach to Smith Point and Tangier Sound also cleared earlier this morning. NDBC station 44088 (Virginia Beach Offshore) recorded 14-foot seas and water at 66 degrees Fahrenheit as of 9:30 AM EST Sunday. NDBC station 44099 (Cape Henry, VA) recorded 9-foot seas and water at 68 degrees Fahrenheit as of 7:56 AM EST. The watch is moderate severity; NWS Wakefield VA issues a Coastal Flood Warning when flooding becomes imminent. Tidal creek margins, waterfront roads, and boat ramp approaches across the Hampton Roads corridor may be affected through Tuesday morning. Pull the current zone text at weather.gov/akq before any departure from Virginia Beach or Hampton Roads ports.

Update, Saturday October 17 at 9:50 PM EDT: NWS Wakefield VA issued a Coastal Flood Watch at 9:50 PM EDT covering Eastern Currituck NC and Virginia Beach through 9:00 AM EDT Monday, October 20. Eastern Currituck is the northeastern North Carolina county bordering the Virginia Beach shoreline to the south, including the Currituck Outer Banks and the Back Bay corridor. The watch means coastal flooding is possible but not yet imminent; NWS Wakefield VA will issue a Coastal Flood Warning if flooding becomes imminent. NDBC station 44088 (Virginia Beach Offshore, VA) recorded seas of 12 feet and water at 67 degrees Fahrenheit as of 9:00 PM EST October 17. Station 44099 (Cape Henry, VA) reported 9-foot seas and water at 69 degrees Fahrenheit as of 8:56 PM EST. These readings are from the outer Bay and offshore Virginia Beach, consistent with watch-level conditions. The Eastern Currituck and Virginia Beach waterfront corridors are low-elevation barrier and bay-edge terrain. Tidal creek margins, waterfront roads, and boat ramp approaches may be affected through Monday morning if the watch upgrades to a Warning. Check weather.gov/akq for current zone text and any product upgrades before any departure from Virginia Beach or Currituck county access points.

NWS Wakefield VA issued Coastal Flood Watches at 10:03 PM EDT Friday, October 16, for Hampton Roads tidal zones and Virginia Beach coastal areas. The watches cover Chesapeake, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Portsmouth through 8:00 AM EDT Monday, October 20. Virginia Beach is also under a Coastal Flood Watch through Monday morning. A separate High Surf Advisory for Virginia Beach runs through 6:00 PM EDT Sunday, October 19.

A Coastal Flood Watch means conditions are favorable for coastal flooding to occur. It is one step below a Coastal Flood Warning. For Hampton Roads, that means low-lying waterfront areas, tidal creek margins, marina access roads, and boat ramp approaches in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, and Suffolk face the possibility of inundation at high tide cycles through Monday morning. The exact timing and extent of flooding depend on tidal cycles, storm surge, and onshore wind direction. NWS Wakefield VA issues the Coastal Flood Warning if and when flooding becomes imminent.

The High Surf Advisory for Virginia Beach through Sunday evening covers breaking surf of 6 to 8 feet expected along the oceanfront. Surf anglers working the Virginia Beach oceanfront, First Landing, and the Dam Neck corridor should treat rip current risk as elevated through Sunday. The Virginia Beach buoy (NDBC station 44088, Virginia Beach Offshore) reported waves of 5 feet and water at 71 degrees Fahrenheit as of 9:00 PM EDT Friday. Cape Henry (station 44099) showed 3-foot waves at 71 degrees Fahrenheit.

This is the middle of the fall Bay striper season in Virginia. Fish have been moving through the lower Bay corridor from the Bay Bridge-Tunnel area through Hampton Roads as water temperatures drop. Access to low-lying ramp sites and waterfront parking along the lower Bay tidal margins may be affected by high-tide flooding through the weekend. Anyone planning a Saturday or Sunday departure from Hampton Roads Bay ramps or Virginia Beach ocean inlets should pull current NWS Wakefield VA zone text at weather.gov/akq before leaving. The zone text, not an advisory header, describes current product status and when a product is downgraded or cancelled.

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