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Marine Forecast-at-a-Glance

Advisory and Warning Icons
Advisory/ Warning	Region	Wind Speed and/or Sea height
Small Craft Advisory There is no precise or legal definition of a small craft. Any vessel that may be adversely affected by Small Craft Advisory criteria should be considered a small craft.	Atlantic Coast (Maine to South Carolina) Lake Erie Lake Ontario	25-33 knots (except 20-25 knots, lower threshold area dependent, to 33 knots for harbors, bays, etc.) and/or ≥5-7 feet, area dependent	A Small Craft Advisory may also be issued when sea or lake ice exists that could be hazardous to small boats.
	Lake Superior Lake Michigan Lake Huron	22-33 knots and/or ≥4 feet
	Alaska	23-33 knots and/or ≥7 feet, area dependent
	Gulf Coast Atlantic Coast (Texas to Georgia)	20-33 knots and/or ≥7 feet (expected for more than 2 hours)
	Pacific Coast	21-33 knots and/or >10 feet (or wave steepness values exceeding local thresholds)
	Hawaii American Samoa	25-33 knots and/or ≥10 feet
	Guam Northern Mariana Islands	22-33 knots and/or ≥10 feet
Gale Warning	All Regions	Issued for winds of 34-47 knots.
Storm Warning	All Regions	Issued for winds ≥48 knots...except winds associated with a tropical cyclones. For winds associated with a tropical cyclones, Storm Warning means winds of 48-63 knots.
Hurricane Warning	All Regions	Issued for winds ≥64 knots associated with a tropical cyclone.

NOTE #1: A SPECIAL MARINE WARNING is issued whenever a severe local storm or strong wind of brief duration is imminent and is not covered by existing warnings or advisories. No visual displays will be used in connection with the Special Marine Warning Bulletin; boaters will be able to receive these special warnings by keeping tuned to a NOAA Weather Radio station or to Coast Guard and commercial radio stations that transmit marine weather information.

NOTE #2: A HURRICANE WATCH is an announcement issued by the National Weather Service via press and television broadcasts whenever a tropical storm or hurricane becomes a threat to a coastal area. The "Hurricane Watch" IS NOT a warning, rather it indicates that the hurricane is near enough that whomever is in the area covered by the "Watch" should listen for subsequent advisories and be ready to take precautionary action should hurricane warnings be issued.

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