Southern Chatham Strait

PKZ033 · Coastal Waters Forecast, National Weather Service Juneau AK · issued Tue, Sep 29, 11:56 PM AKDT

Tonight: S wind 10 kt. Seas 2 ft or less. Near ocean entrances, seas 7 ft. Showers.

Southern Chatham 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 Wed, Sep 30, 12:30 AM AKDT.

Wind: SSW 3 kt, gusts 5 kt at PLXA2
Water: 53°F at ITKA2

Alerts in force

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

The forecast

Coastal Waters Forecast from National Weather Service Juneau AK, issued Tue, Sep 29, 11:56 PM AKDT, valid until Wed, Sep 30, 7:15 AM AKDT. Wind in knots, seas in feet.

Tonight: S wind 10 kt. Seas 2 ft or less. Near ocean entrances, seas 7 ft. Showers.
Wednesday: S wind 15 kt. Seas building to 3 ft in the afternoon. Near ocean entrances, seas 6 ft. Showers.
Wednesday night: S wind 20 kt. Seas 4 ft. Showers.
Thursday: S wind 15 kt. Seas 3 ft. Showers.
Thursday night: S wind 10 kt. Seas 2 ft or less.
Friday: SE wind 10 kt. Seas 3 ft.
Saturday: SE wind 15 kt. Seas 4 ft.
Sunday: S wind 20 kt. Seas 4 ft.

Synopsis

Synopsis for southeast alaska inner channels coastal waters

A weakening 1001 mb low in the northern gulf will diminish through Tuesday night. Westerly 15 to 20 kt winds and seas of 6 to 9 feet in the Gulf of Alaska will steadily decrease into Wednesday. 10 to 15 kt S winds in the southern and central inner channels will decrease overnight. The next system approaches the panhandle Wednesday, increasing winds and seas again.

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
PLXA2 9451054 - Port Alexander, AK	17 nm	SSW 3 kt, gusts 5		51°F	1010.0 hPa	Wed, Sep 30, 12:30 AM AKDT
PGXA2 Point Gardner	31 nm	E 5 kt, gusts 8		47°F	1009.4 hPa	Wed, Sep 30, 12:52 AM AKDT
CDEA2 Cape Decision, AK	32 nm	NW 3 kt, gusts 4		49°F	1010.8 hPa	Wed, Sep 30, 12:22 AM AKDT
CDXA2 Cape Decision MXAK, AK	32 nm	Calm		49°F	1011.3 hPa	Wed, Sep 30, 12:52 AM AKDT
ITKA2 9451600 - Sitka, AK	44 nm		53°F		1009.3 hPa	Wed, Sep 30, 12:30 AM AKDT
SHXA2 Sitka Harbor, AK	45 nm	E 5 kt, gusts 8			1009.1 hPa	Wed, Sep 30, 12:52 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.

The archive of past products did not answer just now.

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 Tue, Sep 29, 11:56 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 09:16 UTC. All public domain, from the National Weather Service.