Alaska marine forecasts

Passage Canal

PKZ723 · Coastal Waters Forecast, National Weather Service Anchorage Alaska · issued Mon, Sep 28, 3:03 PM AKDT

Tonight: W wind 10 kt increasing to 15 kt after midnight. Seas 2 ft.

Passage Canal on the map

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Now

The nearest stations reporting each, as of Mon, Sep 28, 5:32 PM AKDT.

Wind
SSW 14 kt, gusts 22 kt at WIXA2
Water
50°F at 46081

Alerts in force

No marine warning or advisory is in force for this zone.

What is normally issued here: in the past year NWS Anchorage (eastern waters) issued 16 Freezing Spray Warnings, 10 Gale Warnings, 69 Small Craft Advisories for this zone.

The forecast

Coastal Waters Forecast from National Weather Service Anchorage Alaska, issued Mon, Sep 28, 3:03 PM AKDT, valid until Tue, Sep 29, 4:15 AM AKDT. Wind in knots, seas in feet.

Tonight
W wind 10 kt increasing to 15 kt after midnight. Seas 2 ft.
Tuesday
W wind 15 kt diminishing to 10 kt in the afternoon. Seas 2 ft.
Tuesday night
Variable wind less than 10 kt. Seas 2 ft. Widespread rain showers.
Wednesday
E wind 10 kt. Seas 2 ft.
Wednesday night
Variable wind 10 kt. Seas 2 ft.
Thursday
Variable wind less than 10 kt. Seas 2 ft.
Friday through Saturday
W wind 10 kt. Seas 2 ft.

Synopsis

Synopsis for the north gulf coast, kodiak island waters, cook inlet

A 992 mb low 60 nm S of Middleton Island moves to 70 nm S of Yakutat at 1002 mb by Tue afternoon before dissipating shortly afterwards. Its front moves from the North Gulf to the East Gulf by Tue afternoon before dissipating. A series of smaller disturbances clip the northern Gulf Tue afternoon through Wed afternoon.

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.

StationDistanceWindWavesWaterAirPressureReported
WIXA2 Whittier AMHS, AK4 nmSSW 14 kt, gusts 2254°F994.1 hPaMon, Sep 28, 5:32 PM AKDT
PPXA2 Point Pigot6 nmNE 4 kt, gusts 549°F994.4 hPaMon, Sep 28, 5:32 PM AKDT
46081 Western Prince William Sound9 nmNNE 4 kt50°F48°F993.9 hPaMon, Sep 28, 5:10 PM AKDT
APMA2 Anchorage Port, AK46 nmW 5 kt, gusts 651°FMon, Sep 28, 5:32 PM AKDT
SWXA2 Seward Harbor, AK49 nmS 5 kt, gusts 853°F993.8 hPaMon, Sep 28, 5:32 PM AKDT
BLIA2 Bligh Reef Light, AK50 nmSSW 4 kt, gusts 653°F994.2 hPaMon, Sep 28, 5:20 PM 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.

ProductIssuedMost recent
Freezing Spray Warning16Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 4:06 AM AKDT
Gale Warning10Wed, Mar 18, 2026, 4:21 PM AKDT
Small Craft Advisory69Sat, Sep 26, 2026, 2:47 PM AKDT

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 buoysThe hour-by-hour forecast for the middle of the zoneEvery Alaska zone

Sources

Coastal Waters Forecast CWFAER from National Weather Service Anchorage Alaska, issued Mon, Sep 28, 3:03 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 01:59 UTC. All public domain, from the National Weather Service.