Lower Niagara River
Rest of today: Northeast winds around 10 knots. Partly to mostly sunny.
Lower Niagara River 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 Sun, Sep 27, 3:00 PM EDT.
- Wind
- W 4 kt, gusts 5 kt at OLCN6
- Waves
- 2.6 ft at 5 s at 45139
- Water
- 66°F at 45139
Alerts in force
No marine warning or advisory is in force for this zone.
What is normally issued here: in the past year NWS Buffalo, NY issued 21 Special Marine Warnings, 1 Gale Warning, 3 Severe Thunderstorm Watches, 1 Tornado Watch for this zone.
The forecast
Nearshore Marine Forecast from National Weather Service Buffalo NY, issued Sun, Sep 27, 10:04 AM EDT, valid until Sun, Sep 27, 5:00 PM EDT. Wind in knots, seas in feet.
- Rest of today
- Northeast winds around 10 knots. Partly to mostly sunny.
- Tonight
- Northeast winds 5 to 10 knots. A chance of showers.
- Monday
- Northeast winds 10 knots or less becoming north. Mostly cloudy.
- Monday night
- Light and variable winds. Mostly cloudy.
- Tuesday
- Light and variable winds. Partly cloudy.
- Wednesday
- South winds 10 knots or less. Mostly cloudy.
- Thursday
- Southwest winds 5 to 10 knots becoming west. A chance of showers.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OLCN6 Olcott Harbor, NY | 16 nm | W 4 kt, gusts 5 | 64°F | 1004.4 hPa | Sun, Sep 27, 3:00 PM EDT | ||
| 45139 West Lake Ontario - Grimsby | 21 nm | SE 2 kt, gusts 4 | 2.6 ft at 5 s | 66°F | 67°F | 1013.9 hPa | Sun, Sep 27, 3:00 PM EDT |
| BUFN6 9063020 - Buffalo, NY | 24 nm | NNE 10 kt, gusts 18 | 57°F | 67°F | 1013.4 hPa | Sun, Sep 27, 3:00 PM EDT | |
| 4403586 Buffalo Buoy | 25 nm | NNE 12 kt | 56°F | 62°F | 1014.0 hPa | Sun, Sep 27, 1:30 PM EDT | |
| 45159 NW Lake Ontario Ajax | 31 nm | NNE 12 kt, gusts 16 | 1.6 ft at 4 s | 65°F | 72°F | 1013.2 hPa | Sun, Sep 27, 3:00 PM EDT |
| 45142 Port Colborne | 33 nm | NE 12 kt, gusts 16 | 1.6 ft at 3 s | 63°F | 65°F | 1013.8 hPa | Sun, Sep 27, 3:00 PM 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Special Marine Warning | 21 | Wed, Sep 2, 2026, 9:04 PM EDT |
| Gale Warning | 1 | Mon, Dec 29, 2025, 8:00 AM EST |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 3 | Sat, Aug 22, 2026, 1:25 PM EDT |
| Tornado Watch | 1 | Wed, Sep 2, 2026, 4:41 PM EDT |
| Small Craft Advisory | 31 | Mon, Sep 21, 2026, 12:00 AM EDT |
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
- Upper Niagara River and Buffalo Harbor
- Niagara River to Hamlin Beach NY
- Niagara River to Hamlin Beach NY beyond 5NM off shoreline to US-Canadian border
- Dunkirk to Buffalo NY
- Ripley to Buffalo NY extending from 5NM off shoreline to US-Canadian border
- Ripley to Dunkirk NY
- Hamlin Beach to Sodus Bay NY
- Hamlin Beach to Sodus Bay NY beyond 5NM off shoreline to US-Canadian border
- Conneaut OH to Ripley NY beyond 5 nm off shoreline to US-Canadian border
- Conneaut OH to Ripley NY
Open the live map with marine zones and buoysThe hour-by-hour forecast for the middle of the zoneNiagara Area BeachesEvery Great Lakes zone
Sources
Nearshore Marine Forecast NSHBUF from National Weather Service Buffalo NY, issued Sun, Sep 27, 10:04 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 19:49 UTC. All public domain, from the National Weather Service.