Valdez Narrows

PKZ721 · Coastal Waters Forecast, National Weather Service Anchorage Alaska · issued Fri, Sep 25, 2:47 PM AKDT

Tonight: N wind 15 kt. Seas 3 ft. Rain.

Valdez Narrows 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.

Gale Warning
Small Craft Advisory

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Now

The nearest stations reporting each, as of Sat, Sep 26, 12:00 AM AKDT.

Wind: NNE 12 kt, gusts 15 kt at POTA2
Water: 52°F at VDZA2

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 32 Gale Warnings, 17 Freezing Spray Warnings, 9 Storm Warnings, 68 Small Craft Advisories for this zone.

The forecast

Coastal Waters Forecast from National Weather Service Anchorage Alaska, issued Fri, Sep 25, 2:47 PM AKDT, valid until Sat, Sep 26, 4:00 AM AKDT. Wind in knots, seas in feet.

Tonight: N wind 15 kt. Seas 3 ft. Rain.
Saturday: N wind 20 kt. Seas 3 ft. Rain.
Saturday night: N wind 15 kt. Seas 3 ft. Widespread rain showers.
Sunday and Sunday night: NE wind 15 kt. Seas 3 ft.
Monday through Wednesday: NE wind 10 kt. Seas 2 ft.

Synopsis

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

A NW-to-SE oriented front over Kenai Peninsula pushes into Prince William Sound by Sat morning. The front is followed by a series of additional troughs across the western Gulf through Sun 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.

Station	Distance	Wind	Water	Air	Pressure	Reported
POTA2 Potato Point, AK	3 nm	NNE 12 kt, gusts 15		46°F	1005.3 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 12:00 AM AKDT
MRKA2 Middle Rock Light, AK	3 nm	ENE 8 kt		46°F	1005.7 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 12:00 AM AKDT
VDZA2 9454240 - Valdez, AK	9 nm	SW 1 kt, gusts 3	52°F		1005.8 hPa	Fri, Sep 25, 11:48 PM AKDT
VDXA2 Valdez, AK	10 nm	SSW 1 kt, gusts 2		44°F		Sat, Sep 26, 12:12 AM AKDT
BLIA2 Bligh Reef Light, AK	14 nm	N 10 kt, gusts 12		50°F	1005.9 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 12:00 AM AKDT
46060 WEST ORCA BAY - 8NM NW of Hinchinbrook Is., AK	28 nm	E 21 kt, gusts 25	53°F	52°F	1005.0 hPa	Sat, Sep 26, 12:00 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	Tue, Mar 24, 2026, 3:24 AM AKDT
Freezing Spray Warning	17	Sun, Mar 15, 2026, 3:31 PM AKDT
Storm Warning	9	Fri, Feb 20, 2026, 4:33 AM AKST
Small Craft Advisory	68	Sat, Sep 19, 2026, 3:33 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 buoys The hour-by-hour forecast for the middle of the zone Every Alaska zone

Sources

Coastal Waters Forecast CWFAER from National Weather Service Anchorage Alaska, issued Fri, Sep 25, 2:47 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 08:40 UTC. All public domain, from the National Weather Service.