Alaska marine forecasts

Unalaska Bay

PKZ771 · Coastal Waters Forecast, National Weather Service Anchorage Alaska · issued Fri, Sep 25, 3:30 PM AKDT

Gale Warning in force. Tonight: SW wind 30 kt increasing to 40 kt after midnight. Seas 6 ft. Rain showers.

Unalaska Bay 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.

  • Storm Warning
  • Gale Warning

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Now

The nearest stations reporting each, as of Sat, Sep 26, 2:02 AM AKDT.

Wind
SSW 20 kt, gusts 34 kt at DPXA2
Water
48°F at UNLA2

Alerts in force

  • Gale Warning from Fri, Sep 25, 5:00 AM AKDT until Sat, Sep 26, 5:00 AM AKDT

    Gale Warning issued September 24 at 3:09PM AKDT until September 26 at 5:00AM AKDT by NWS Anchorage AK

    The full text
    Coastal Waters Forecast for Southwest Alaska+Bristol Bay+The
    Alaska Peninsula Waters and the Aleutian Islands up to 100 nm out.
    
    Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction
    expected. Sea forecasts represent an average of the highest
    one-third of the combined wind wave and swell height.
    
    .TONIGHT...SW wind 25 kt increasing to 40 kt after midnight. Seas
    6 ft. Rain showers.
    .FRI...W wind 35 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain showers.
    .FRI NIGHT...SW wind 30 kt increasing to 40 kt after midnight.
    Seas 6 ft. Rain showers.
    .SAT...W wind 40 kt. Seas 6 ft.
    .SAT NIGHT...W wind 30 kt. Seas 5 ft.
    .SUN THROUGH MON...W wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft.
    .TUE...W wind 20 kt. Seas 2 ft.
  • Gale Warning from Fri, Sep 25, 5:00 AM AKDT until Sat, Sep 26, 5:00 PM AKDT

    Gale Warning issued September 25 at 5:09AM AKDT until September 26 at 5:00PM AKDT by NWS Anchorage AK

    The full text
    Coastal Waters Forecast for Southwest Alaska+Bristol Bay+The
    Alaska Peninsula Waters and the Aleutian Islands up to 100 nm out.
    
    Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction
    expected. Sea forecasts represent an average of the highest
    one-third of the combined wind wave and swell height.
    
    .TODAY...W wind 35 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain showers.
    .TONIGHT...SW wind 30 kt increasing to 40 kt after midnight. Seas
    6 ft. Rain showers.
    .SAT...W wind 40 kt. Seas 6 ft. Rain showers.
    .SAT NIGHT...W wind 30 kt. Seas 5 ft.
    .SUN THROUGH MON...W wind 25 kt. Seas 9 ft.
    .TUE...W wind 20 kt. Seas 3 ft.
  • Gale Warning from Fri, Sep 25, 3:00 PM AKDT until Sat, Sep 26, 5:00 PM AKDT

    Gale Warning issued September 25 at 3:30PM AKDT until September 26 at 5:00PM AKDT by NWS Anchorage AK

    The full text
    Coastal Waters Forecast for Southwest Alaska+Bristol Bay+The
    Alaska Peninsula Waters and the Aleutian Islands up to 100 nm out.
    
    Wind forecasts reflect the predominant speed and direction
    expected. Sea forecasts represent an average of the highest
    one-third of the combined wind wave and swell height.
    
    .TONIGHT...SW wind 30 kt increasing to 40 kt after midnight. Seas
    6 ft. Rain showers.
    .SAT...SW wind 35 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain showers.
    .SAT NIGHT...W wind 30 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain showers.
    .SUN...W wind 25 kt. Seas 4 ft.
    .SUN NIGHT...NW wind 25 kt. Seas 9 ft.
    .MON...W wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft.
    .TUE...W wind 20 kt. Seas 3 ft.
    .WED...E wind 20 kt. Seas 2 ft.

The forecast

Coastal Waters Forecast from National Weather Service Anchorage Alaska, issued Fri, Sep 25, 3:30 PM AKDT, valid until Sat, Sep 26, 4:00 AM AKDT. Wind in knots, seas in feet.

GALE WARNING THROUGH SATURDAY

Tonight
SW wind 30 kt increasing to 40 kt after midnight. Seas 6 ft. Rain showers.
Saturday
SW wind 35 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain showers.
Saturday night
W wind 30 kt. Seas 5 ft. Rain showers.
Sunday
W wind 25 kt. Seas 4 ft.
Sunday night
NW wind 25 kt. Seas 9 ft.
Monday
W wind 25 kt. Seas 5 ft.
Tuesday
W wind 20 kt. Seas 3 ft.
Wednesday
E wind 20 kt. Seas 2 ft.

Synopsis

Synopsis for southwest alaska, bristol bay, the alaska peninsula waters and the aleutian islands

A 971 mb low 150 nm west of Saint Paul tracks to 140 nm ENE of Saint Paul at 972 mb Sat morning. It then moves over Cape Newenham Sun morning at 980 mb.

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
DPXA2 Dutch Harbor Pilot Station, AK4 nmSSW 20 kt, gusts 3448°F988.1 hPaSat, Sep 26, 2:02 AM AKDT
DPLA2 Dutch Harbor APL, AK4 nmSSW 35 kt, gusts 5348°FSat, Sep 26, 2:02 AM AKDT
UNLA2 9462620 - Unalaska, AK4 nmWSW 21 kt, gusts 3648°F989.5 hPaSat, Sep 26, 1:42 AM AKDT
CPXA2 Captains Bay7 nmSSW 24 kt, gusts 3748°F988.7 hPaSat, Sep 26, 2:02 AM AKDT
AKXA2 Akutan, AK28 nmWSW 22 kt, gusts 3351°F988.0 hPaSat, Sep 26, 2:02 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.

ProductIssuedMost recent
Gale Warning36Fri, Sep 25, 2026, 5:09 AM AKDT
Storm Warning3Mon, Jan 5, 2026, 3:46 AM AKST
Freezing Spray Warning2Fri, Mar 20, 2026, 4:53 AM AKDT
Small Craft Advisory104Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 4:27 AM 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 CWFALU from National Weather Service Anchorage Alaska, issued Fri, Sep 25, 3:30 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 10:49 UTC. All public domain, from the National Weather Service.