Should I boat at Morehead City / Beaufort, NC today?

Conditions right now

CAUTION as of Oct 23, 11:22 AM ET: wind NNE 13 kt, gusts 16 kt; waves about 3 ft every 2 s. Boatable with care: expect chop or building wind. Small boats should think twice.

From the NWS gridded forecast for this launch. The live page adds buoy observations, marine warnings and an hour-by-hour timeline.

About Morehead City / Beaufort, NC

• Water: North Carolina Coast
• Location: 34.700, -76.690
• NWS marine forecast zone: AMZ158
• Live observations: NDBC BFTN7, NDBC CLKN7

How the wind direction plays here

• Onshore (waves pile up at the launch, often rougher than the open-water number): SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW
• Offshore (deceptively calm at the ramp, rougher farther out, and it pushes you away from shore): N, NNE, NE, NW, NNW
• Cross-shore (moderate; watch which way it trends): ENE, E, ESE, WSW, W, WNW

Why direction matters: wind direction and fetch.

Nearby launches on North Carolina Coast

• Wilmington / Wrightsville Beach, NC (71 mi): GO, wind NNE 14 kt, gusts 17 kt; waves about 3 ft every 11 s
• Oregon Inlet / Outer Banks, NC (99 mi): CAUTION, wind NNE 14 kt, gusts 18 kt; waves about 6 ft every 10 s