Benign conditions for area waters today as high pressure remains in the area. Northerly flow is expected throughout much of the late morning and afternoon period, but should remain below headline criteria today. That said, a more active period is in store for the late Friday into the weekend time frame. Winds over the coastal waters begin to increase ahead of the next low pressure system early Friday afternoon. Initially, the stronger gusts will remain over the outer coastal waters, with them filling in closer to the coast by overnight Friday into early Saturday morning. Small craft advisories have been posted for Friday afternoon for the coast, but transition to a Gale Watch for the overnight and early Saturday morning period. Additionally, seas will be coming up over the outer coastal waters between 13-15 ft, and 8- 10 feet over the inner coastal waters. Grays Harbor will need to be evaluated further if the 10 ft seas get closer to the bar. An elevated sea state will persist throughout the weekend before coming back down. Inner waters such as Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and Northern Interior waters may also reach headline criteria over the weekend but nothing has been posted at this time. Kristell (Issued: 851 AM PDT Thu Oct 24 2024 by NOAA)