Stephens Passage
Small Craft Advisory in force. Rest of today: SE wind 10 kt increasing to 20 kt in the afternoon. Near Young Bay, E wind 25 kt. Seas 4 ft. Rain.
Stephens Passage 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
Now
The nearest stations reporting each, as of Sat, Sep 26, 11:32 AM AKDT.
- Wind
- SE 6 kt, gusts 8 kt at MIXA2
Alerts in force
Small Craft Advisory from Sat, Sep 26, 2:00 AM AKDT until Sun, Sep 27, 5:00 AM AKDT
Small Craft Advisory issued September 26 at 2:58AM AKDT until September 27 at 5:00AM 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. .TODAY...SE wind 15 kt. Seas building to 4 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...SE wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain. .SUN...SE wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain. .SUN NIGHT...SE wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain. .MON...SE wind 20 kt. Seas 4 ft. .TUE...SE wind 20 kt. Seas 4 ft. .WED...SE wind 15 kt. Seas 2 ft or less.
Small Craft Advisory from Sat, Sep 26, 10:00 AM AKDT until Sun, Sep 27, 5:00 AM AKDT
Small Craft Advisory issued September 26 at 10:33AM AKDT until September 27 at 5:00AM 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. UPDATED ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH LATE TONIGHT... .REST OF TODAY...SE wind 10 kt increasing to 20 kt in the afternoon. Near Young Bay, E wind 25 kt. Seas 4 ft. Rain. .TONIGHT...SE wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain. .SUN...SE wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain. .SUN NIGHT...SE wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain. .MON...SE wind 20 kt. Seas 4 ft. .TUE...SE wind 20 kt. Seas 4 ft. .WED...SE wind 15 kt. Seas 2 ft or less.
The forecast
Coastal Waters Forecast from National Weather Service Juneau AK, issued Sat, Sep 26, 10:33 AM AKDT, valid until Sat, Sep 26, 7:00 PM AKDT. Wind in knots, seas in feet.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
UPDATED
- Rest of today
- SE wind 10 kt increasing to 20 kt in the afternoon. Near Young Bay, E wind 25 kt. Seas 4 ft. Rain.
- Tonight
- SE wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain.
- Sunday
- SE wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain.
- Sunday night
- SE wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain.
- Monday
- SE wind 20 kt. Seas 4 ft.
- Tuesday
- SE wind 20 kt. Seas 4 ft.
- Wednesday
- SE wind 15 kt. Seas 2 ft or less.
Synopsis
Synopsis for southeast alaska inner channels coastal waters
A front approaching from the West is bringing elevated winds and seas Saturday morning. The strongest winds are expected near Cape Suckling due to a barrier jet, with winds increasing to 25 kts in the Northern inner channels into Sunday. A low pressure system moving from the Bering Sea into the Gulf of Alaska Monday will continue a more active weather pattern into next week.
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 | Waves | Water | Air | Pressure | Reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIXA2 Midway Island, AK | 31 nm | SE 6 kt, gusts 8 | 45°F | Sat, Sep 26, 11:32 AM AKDT | |||
| PGXA2 Point Gardner | 38 nm | ESE 10 kt, gusts 17 | 47°F | 1011.6 hPa | Sat, Sep 26, 11:32 AM AKDT | ||
| PCXA2 Point Craven MXAK, AK | 42 nm | S 5 kt, gusts 8 | 49°F | 1012.8 hPa | Sat, Sep 26, 11:32 AM AKDT | ||
| GPXA2 Grave Point, AK | 46 nm | ESE 7 kt, gusts 18 | 48°F | 1013.2 hPa | Sat, Sep 26, 11:32 AM AKDT | ||
| PAXA2 Point Arden, AK | 53 nm | ENE 8 kt, gusts 13 | 42°F | 1013.0 hPa | Sat, Sep 26, 11:32 AM AKDT | ||
| PBPA2 Point Bishop, AK | 55 nm | NE 3 kt, gusts 10 | 44°F | 1013.2 hPa | Sat, Sep 26, 11:10 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 | 32 | Sat, Mar 7, 2026, 3:00 PM AKST |
| Freezing Spray Warning | 5 | Sun, Feb 22, 2026, 3:00 AM AKST |
| Storm Warning | 3 | Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 2:50 PM AKST |
| Special Marine Warning | 2 | Sun, Sep 20, 2026, 12:59 PM AKDT |
| Small Craft Advisory | 99 | Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 4:00 AM AKDT |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 2 | Thu, Feb 5, 2026, 9:46 PM 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
- Southern Lynn Canal
- Frederick Sound
- Northern Chatham Strait
- Southern Chatham Strait
- Sumner Strait
- Cape Decision to Cape Edgecumbe out to 15 NM
- Icy Strait
- Cape Edgecumbe to Cape Spencer out to 15 NM
- Cross Sound
- Cape Decision to Cape Edgecumbe from 15 to 80 NM
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 CWFAJK from National Weather Service Juneau AK, issued Sat, Sep 26, 10:33 AM 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 19:52 UTC. All public domain, from the National Weather Service.