Clarence Strait

PKZ036 · Coastal Waters Forecast, National Weather Service Juneau AK · issued Fri, Sep 25, 3:33 PM AKDT

Small Craft Advisory in force. Tonight: NW wind 10 kt becoming SE late. Seas 2 ft or less.

Clarence Strait on the map

The zone and the zones around it, tinted where a marine warning or advisory is in force. Tap a neighboring zone to open its forecast.

Small Craft Advisory

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Now

The nearest stations reporting each, as of Sat, Sep 26, 1:32 AM AKDT.

Wind: NNE 5 kt, gusts 6 kt at WCXA2
Water: 54°F at KECA2

Alerts in force

Small Craft Advisory from Sat, Sep 26, 5:00 AM AKDT until Sat, Sep 26, 5:00 PM AKDT

Small Craft Advisory issued September 25 at 3:33PM AKDT until September 26 at 5:00PM AKDT by NWS Juneau AK

The full text

Southeast Alaska Inside Waters from Dixon Entrance to Skagway

Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction
expected. Sea forecasts represent the average of the highest
one-third of the combined windwave and swell height.

.TONIGHT...NW wind 10 kt becoming SE late. Seas 2 ft or less.
.SAT...SE wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft building to 8 ft in the
afternoon. Rain.
.SAT NIGHT...SE wind 25 kt. Seas 6 ft. Rain.
.SUN...SE wind 30 kt. Seas 9 ft. Rain.
.SUN NIGHT...SE gale to 35 kt. Seas 12 ft. Rain.
.MON...SE wind 30 kt. Seas 11 ft.
.TUE...S wind 20 kt. Seas 6 ft.
.WED...S wind 25 kt. Seas 6 ft.

Small Craft Advisory from Sat, Sep 26, 10:00 AM AKDT until Sat, Sep 26, 6:00 PM AKDT

Small Craft Advisory issued September 26 at 12:51AM AKDT until September 26 at 6:00PM AKDT by NWS Juneau AK

The full text

* WHAT...Southeast winds 20 to 30 kt with gusts up to 35 kt and
seas 6 to 8 ft expected.

* WHERE...Clarence Strait.

* WHEN...From 10 AM this morning to 6 PM AKDT this evening.

* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.

Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.

The forecast

Coastal Waters Forecast from National Weather Service Juneau AK, issued Fri, Sep 25, 3:33 PM AKDT, valid until Sat, Sep 26, 7:15 AM AKDT. Wind in knots, seas in feet.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY SATURDAY

Tonight: NW wind 10 kt becoming SE late. Seas 2 ft or less.
Saturday: SE wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft building to 8 ft in the afternoon. Rain.
Saturday night: SE wind 25 kt. Seas 6 ft. Rain.
Sunday: SE wind 30 kt. Seas 9 ft. Rain.
Sunday night: SE gale to 35 kt. Seas 12 ft. Rain.
Monday: SE wind 30 kt. Seas 11 ft.
Tuesday: S wind 20 kt. Seas 6 ft.
Wednesday: S wind 25 kt. Seas 6 ft.

Synopsis

Synopsis for southeast alaska inner channels coastal waters

A front will approach from the west late Friday into early Saturday. This will begin a pattern of elevated winds and seas, with near gales along the outer coast and with barrier jet gale force winds expected near Cape Suckling, late Friday into Saturday. Southeasterly fresh to strong breezes across the inner channels last through the weekend.

Buoys and stations nearby

The latest report from each station within reach of the zone, nearest first. Distances in nautical miles from the middle of the zone.

Station	Distance	Wind	Water	Air	Pressure	Reported
WCXA2 Ward Cove, AK	2 nm	NNE 5 kt, gusts 6		44°F	1017.0 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 1:32 AM AKDT
GIXA2 Guard Island, AK	4 nm	E 9 kt, gusts 12		48°F	1014.2 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 1:32 AM AKDT
KEXA2 Ketchikan Harbor, AK	5 nm	E 2 kt, gusts 3		45°F	1016.0 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 1:32 AM AKDT
SLXA2 Salmon Landing, AK	6 nm	NE 2 kt, gusts 3		46°F	1015.9 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 1:32 AM AKDT
KECA2 9450460 - Ketchikan, AK	7 nm	Calm	54°F	45°F	1016.2 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 1:00 AM AKDT
SXXA2 Saxman Landing, AK	9 nm	SE 3 kt, gusts 8		50°F	1015.5 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 1:32 AM AKDT

The past year

Warnings, watches and advisories the National Weather Service issued for this zone over the past 12 months, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet’s archive.

Product	Issued	Most recent
Gale Warning	39	Sat, Sep 19, 2026, 7:00 PM AKDT
Storm Warning	6	Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 9:00 AM AKST
Special Marine Warning	1	Fri, Sep 26, 2025, 11:54 AM AKDT
Small Craft Advisory	94	Sat, Sep 26, 2026, 10:00 AM AKDT
Dense Fog Advisory	1	Mon, Jan 19, 2026, 7:21 AM AKST

What this means

Marine forecasts give wind in knots (1 knot is 1.15 mph) and seas in feet, except the high seas forecasts, which give seas in meters. Seas are the significant wave height, the average of the highest third of the waves; individual waves may be more than twice that. On the Great Lakes the forecast gives waves, not seas. "Wave Detail" splits the seas into the wind waves and each swell, with its direction and period.

Each coastal office writes a Coastal Waters Forecast for the bays, sounds and ocean out to 20 to 60 nautical miles, or on the Great Lakes a Nearshore Marine Forecast within 5 nautical miles of shore; the Open Lakes Forecast covers the rest of each lake. The Ocean Prediction Center and the National Hurricane Center write the Offshore Waters Forecasts out to about 250 nautical miles, and the High Seas Forecasts beyond. Forecasts are issued at least twice a day and updated when they go wrong.

Small Craft Advisory: Winds or conditions hazardous to small boats. The thresholds are set by each NWS region: typically sustained winds or frequent gusts of 20 to 25 knots up to 33 knots, and seas of 5 to 7 feet or more.
Gale Warning: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 34 to 47 knots, not from a tropical cyclone.
Storm Warning: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 48 to 63 knots, not from a tropical cyclone.
Hurricane Force Wind Warning: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 64 knots or more, not from a tropical cyclone.
Special Marine Warning: A thunderstorm or squall over the water with winds or gusts of 34 knots or more, hail of 3/4 inch or more, or a waterspout, for up to two hours.
Hazardous Seas Warning: Wave heights or steepness at or above the office’s warning threshold, when the wind alone does not warrant a warning.
Heavy Freezing Spray Warning: Spray freezing on a vessel at 2 cm (3/4 inch) an hour or more.
Tropical Storm and Hurricane Warnings: Tropical storm (34 to 63 knots) or hurricane (64 knots or more) conditions expected within 36 hours. Watches: possible within 48 hours.

Nearby

Open the live map with marine zones and buoys The hour-by-hour forecast for the middle of the zone Every Alaska zone

Sources

Coastal Waters Forecast CWFAJK from National Weather Service Juneau AK, issued Fri, Sep 25, 3:33 PM AKDT. Original at NWS. Buoy reports from the National Data Buoy Center. Past products from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Zone outlines from the NWS marine and offshore zone boundaries. Warnings and advisories from the NWS API, read 09:52 UTC. All public domain, from the National Weather Service.