Gale Warning in effect for Currituck Sound through Wednesday evening; Croatan and Roanoke Sounds warning expires tonight
NWS Wakefield VA issued a Gale Warning for Currituck Sound at 9:59 AM EDT October 20; that warning runs through 7:00 PM EDT Wednesday, October 21. NWS Newport/Morehead City NC re-issued the Gale Warning for Croatan and Roanoke Sounds on October 20, expiring at 11:45 PM EDT tonight. NDBC buoy 41025 (Diamond Shoals, NC) recorded north winds of 27 knots gusting to 35 knots and 12-foot seas as of midday October 20. Pull weather.gov/mhx and weather.gov/akq before any departure on these waters.
NWS Newport/Morehead City NC issued Gale Warnings at 3:03 PM EDT Saturday, October 17, 2026 for four inland sound zones: Albemarle Sound, Alligator River, Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, and Neuse and Bay Rivers. The warnings do not share a single expiration. Croatan and Roanoke Sounds are under the warning through 5:00 AM EDT Wednesday, October 21. Albemarle Sound and Alligator River run through 12:00 AM EDT Tuesday, October 20. Neuse and Bay Rivers run through 10:00 PM EDT Sunday, October 18. Gale Warning criteria apply when sustained winds reach 34 to 47 knots.
NDBC buoy 41025 (Diamond Shoals, NC) recorded north winds of 39 knots gusting to 47 knots and water at 80 degrees Fahrenheit as of 4:40 PM EST October 17. NDBC station 41120 (Cape Hatteras East, NC) reported seas of 14 feet and water at 78 degrees Fahrenheit as of 4:26 PM EST October 17. NDBC station 41064 (Onslow Bay Outer, NC) recorded NNE winds of 33 knots gusting to 45 knots and water at 78 degrees Fahrenheit as of 4:08 PM EST October 17. These are offshore buoy readings from the Diamond Shoals area. Conditions on the enclosed sounds differ in wave height but are driven by the same regional wind system. The NWS Newport/Morehead City NC zone forecast text, not buoy point readings, is the controlling product for departure decisions.
Albemarle Sound runs east-west across the northern North Carolina coastal plain, connecting the Outer Banks to the mainland. It is a fall striper water, with fish moving through the Sound and its tributary rivers as water temperatures fall and baitfish concentrate. Roanoke Sound and Croatan Sound frame the west and east sides of Roanoke Island, connecting Manteo and Wanchese to the Oregon Inlet corridor. Commercial and charter boats operating from Wanchese and Manteo use these sounds as the primary access route to Pamlico Sound and the inshore fishing grounds south of Oregon Inlet. The Alligator River drains into Albemarle Sound from the south and provides back-country access to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, a fall striped bass fishery.
The Neuse River and Bay River run through the Pamlico Sound watershed east of New Bern, with access from Oriental, Minnesott Beach, and the Neuse River boating corridor. October is striped bass and flounder season on the Neuse system. The Gale Warning for this zone runs through Sunday evening, a shorter window than the other three zones. Pull the current NWS Newport/Morehead City NC zone products at weather.gov/mhx for each zone before any departure on these waters. Warning expirations can change; the NWS product text is the authoritative current status.
Updated October 20, 2026: NWS Newport/Morehead City NC issued follow-on Gale Warnings at 9:20 PM EDT October 19 for Alligator River and Albemarle Sound and for the offshore zone south of Cape Lookout NC to Surf City NC out to 20 nautical miles. Both warnings expired at 12:00 AM EDT October 20 and have cleared. Croatan and Roanoke Sounds remain under the original October 17 Gale Warning through 5:00 AM EDT Wednesday, October 21. Offshore conditions along the NC coast remain rough after the sound-zone warnings cleared: NDBC buoy 41025 (Diamond Shoals, NC) recorded north winds of 27 knots gusting to 33 knots as of 10:40 PM EST October 19, and NDBC station 41120 (Cape Hatteras East, NC) measured seas of 15 feet at 10:26 PM EST October 19. Pull the current NWS Newport/Morehead City NC zone products at weather.gov/mhx before any departure on these waters.
Update, afternoon October 20, 2026: NWS Newport/Morehead City NC issued a new Gale Warning for Croatan and Roanoke Sounds at 9:39 AM EDT this morning, replacing the October 17 issuance and setting a revised expiration of 11:45 PM EDT tonight. The new warning runs shorter than the original, which had been set to expire at 5:00 AM EDT Wednesday, October 21. A separate Gale Warning for Currituck Sound was issued by NWS Wakefield VA at 9:59 AM EDT October 20 and runs through 7:00 PM EDT Wednesday, October 21. Currituck Sound runs between the Virginia Beach mainland and the northern Outer Banks from Corolla south to Kitty Hawk and is accessed from boat ramps along the Currituck County waterfronts and the Outer Banks beach road corridor. Fall striper and red drum fishing in the northern Outer Banks sounds is closed through tomorrow evening under this warning. NDBC buoy 41025 (Diamond Shoals, NC) recorded north winds of 27 knots gusting to 35 knots and 12-foot seas at water temperature 69 degrees Fahrenheit as of 12:50 PM EST October 20. NDBC station 41120 (Cape Hatteras East, NC) measured seas of 14 feet and water at 68 degrees Fahrenheit as of 12:26 PM EST October 20. Pull current zone products at weather.gov/mhx (NWS Newport/Morehead City NC) and weather.gov/akq (NWS Wakefield VA) before any departure on these waters.
On the water: Rules and conditions can change quickly. Confirm current regulations and official marine forecasts for your exact trip.