Buzzards Bay
Storm Warning in force. Today: NE winds 25 to 30 kt with gusts up to 55 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: NE 5 ft at 6 seconds. Patchy fog. Showers. A slight chance of tstms this morning, then a chance of tstms this afternoon. Vsby 1 to 3 NM.
Buzzards 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
Now
The nearest stations reporting each, as of Sat, Sep 26, 3:30 AM EDT.
- Wind
- NE 18 kt, gusts 31 kt at NBGM3
- Waves
- 8.2 ft at 6 s at 44085
- Water
- 65°F at BZBM3
Alerts in force
Storm Warning from Sat, Sep 26, 1:58 AM EDT until Sat, Sep 26, 8:00 PM EDT
Storm Warning issued September 26 at 1:58AM EDT until September 26 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Boston/Norton MA
The full text
* WHAT...Northeast winds 25 to 35 kt with gusts up to 55 kt and seas 5 to 8 feet. * WHERE...Nantucket Sound, Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay. * WHEN...Until 8 PM EDT this evening. * IMPACTS...Storm force winds and hazardous seas will capsize or damage vessels and reduce visibility.
Mariners should remain in port, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe conditions.
The forecast
Coastal Waters Forecast from National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA, issued Sat, Sep 26, 4:03 AM EDT, valid until Sat, Sep 26, 5:00 PM EDT. Wind in knots, seas in feet.
STORM WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING
- Today
- NE winds 25 to 30 kt with gusts up to 55 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: NE 5 ft at 6 seconds. Patchy fog. Showers. A slight chance of tstms this morning, then a chance of tstms this afternoon. Vsby 1 to 3 NM.
- Tonight
- NE winds 25 to 30 kt, diminishing to 20 to 25 kt after midnight. Gusts up to 45 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: NE 4 ft at 4 seconds and SW 4 ft at 5 seconds. Patchy fog. Showers. Vsby 1 to 3 NM.
- Sunday
- NE winds 15 to 20 kt with gusts up to 45 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: NE 4 ft at 4 seconds and SE 3 ft at 9 seconds. Patchy fog. Showers likely. A chance of tstms in the afternoon. Vsby 1 to 3 NM.
- Sunday night
- NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Gusts up to 30 kt, decreasing to 20 kt after midnight. Seas 3 to 5 ft, subsiding to 2 to 3 ft after midnight. Wave Detail: SE 3 ft at 7 seconds and NE 2 ft at 4 seconds, becoming E 3 ft at 6 seconds. Showers. A chance of tstms in the evening. Patchy fog in the evening with vsby 1 to 3 NM.
- Monday
- E winds around 10 kt. Seas around 2 ft. Wave Detail: NE 2 ft at 6 seconds. Showers, mainly in the morning.
- Monday night
- SE winds 5 to 10 kt, becoming SW after midnight. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Wave Detail: SE 3 ft at 7 seconds and E 1 foot at 17 seconds. A chance of showers in the evening.
- Tuesday through Wednesday night
- SW winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas around 2 ft.
Winds and seas higher in and near tstms.
Seas are reported as significant wave height, which is the average of the highest third of the waves. Individual wave heights may be more than twice the significant wave height.
Synopsis
Synopsis for Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastal waters
A slow moving and intensifying nor'easter approaches southern New England this evening and lingers over the southern waters into this weekend. Dangerous conditions are expected for mariners today through this weekend. Peak NE wind gusts of 35 to 60 kt with maximum seas of 15-25 feet across the open waters are expected. Mariners should keep up to date with the latest forecasts and be prepared to return to port.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NBGM3 8447627 - New Bedford, Barrier Gate, MA | 6 nm | NE 18 kt, gusts 31 | 55°F | 1010.8 hPa | Sat, Sep 26, 3:30 AM EDT | ||
| BZBM3 8447930 - Woods Hole, MA | 7 nm | 65°F | 56°F | 1009.5 hPa | Sat, Sep 26, 3:30 AM EDT | ||
| WAXM3 Carriage House, Waquoit Bay Reserve, MA | 13 nm | NNW 5 kt | 56°F | 1010.0 hPa | Sat, Sep 26, 3:00 AM EDT | ||
| BUZM3 Buzzards Bay, MA | 14 nm | NE 45 kt, gusts 54 | 1007.3 hPa | Sat, Sep 26, 4:00 AM EDT | |||
| 44085 Buzzards Bay, MA (260) | 15 nm | 8.2 ft at 6 s from NE | 65°F | 58°F | Sat, Sep 26, 3:30 AM EDT | ||
| FRVM3 8447386 - Fall River, MA | 18 nm | 65°F | 58°F | 1011.0 hPa | Sat, Sep 26, 3:30 AM EDT |
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 | 38 | Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 5:00 AM EDT |
| Special Marine Warning | 9 | Sun, Aug 23, 2026, 1:07 PM EDT |
| Storm Warning | 6 | Fri, Sep 25, 2026, 2:00 AM EDT |
| Freezing Spray Warning | 2 | Sat, Feb 7, 2026, 4:00 PM EST |
| Gale Watch | 24 | Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT |
| Storm Watch | 4 | Fri, Sep 25, 2026, 2:00 AM EDT |
| Freezing Spray Watch | 1 | Sat, Feb 7, 2026, 4:00 PM EST |
| Small Craft Advisory | 84 | Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT |
| Freezing Spray Advisory | 8 | Mon, Mar 2, 2026, 1:00 AM EST |
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
- Vineyard Sound
- Rhode Island Sound
- Narragansett Bay
- Nantucket Sound
- Cape Cod Bay
- Coastal Waters extending out to 25 NM South of Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket
- Coastal Waters from Montauk NY to Marthas Vineyard extending out to 20 NM South of Block Island
- Block Island Sound
- Boston Harbor
- Coastal waters from Provincetown MA to Chatham MA to Nantucket MA out 20 NM
Open the live map with marine zones and buoysThe hour-by-hour forecast for the middle of the zoneBristol Area BeachesMartha's Vineyard BeachesNewport Area BeachesEvery Atlantic Coast zone
Sources
Coastal Waters Forecast CWFBOX from National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA, issued Sat, Sep 26, 4:03 AM EDT. 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 08:26 UTC. All public domain, from the National Weather Service.