A strong cold front will sweep across eastern North Carolina tonight. Behind the front, winds will shift abruptly from the Southwest to the North and Northeast and increase to around 20 knots. There will be a 3 to 5 hour period following the frontal passage where the winds will gust frequently to 25 knots. The gusty northerly winds will arrive in vicinity of the Albemarle Sound, Alligator River, Croatan and Roanoke Sounds, and the waters north of Oregon Inlet around 3 AM Saturday. The gusty winds should reach the Pamlico Sound and the waters from south of Oregon Inlet to north of Cape Lookout around 5 AM Saturday. Finally the strong winds are expected over the waters south of Cape Lookout around 7 AM Saturday. Mariners are advised to be on the lookout for a sharp change in wind direction and increase in wind speeds late tonight and early Saturday.
