Urgent – Marine Weather Message
High Surf Advisory
Antigua and Barbuda Meteorological Service
10:10 am Thursday 23 April, 2026
…High surf advisory for the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and Barbuda…
Locations to be affected: Reefs and exposed northwestern and northern facing coastlines with relatively shallow, gently to moderately sloping, nearshore areas.
Timing: Until Friday night for the British Virgin Islands and Anguilla
Until Friday midnight Barbuda
Synopsis: Moderate long-period swells are reaching the area and causing hazardous conditions along mainly northwestern and northern-facing coastlines. The threat level to the life, livelihood, property and infrastructure of those using the affected coastlines is moderate with the potential for significant impacts. These swells could cause life-threatening surfs and rip currents on affected coastlines. A high surf advisory means that dangerous surfs of 2 to 3 metres or 6 to 10 feet will affect some coastlines in the advisory area, producing hazardous conditions.
Seas (significant wave heights): 1.2 to 2.1 metres (4 to 7 feet), occasionally or locally reaching near 2.7 metres (9 feet).
Swell period: 9 to 10 seconds. Swells: North-northwest and North at 1.5 to 1.8 metres (5 to 6 feet) and occasionally higher.
Surfs (breaking swells): Over 1.8 metres (over 6 feet). These conditions are conducive to dangerous rip currents. Please note that surfs could be as much as twice the height of swells, depending on the bathymetry of the nearshore areas.
Coastal flooding: High tides combined with onshore wind and swell actions could result in localised coastal flooding and beach erosion.
Potential Impacts: Loss of life, strong currents that can carry even the strongest swimmers
Precautionary: Beachgoers, especially to the mainly affected coastlines, should be extremely cautious; bathe only where lifeguards are present or on the sheltered, less affected beaches, mainly to the south and west. Extreme caution is also required by those using the affected non-beach or rocky coastlines.
Rip currents are powerful channels of water flowing quickly away from shore, which occur most often at low spots or breaks in the sandbar and near structures such as groins, jetties and pi
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