A new mechanism of mid-shelf frontogenesis in shelf waters off the Carolina Capes is proposed based on results from the three numerical experiments using a three-dimensional coastal ocean model. We find that quasi-geostrophic currents induced by a density (temperature) anomaly at the shelf break may advect upper-layer water, from the shelf break to the mid shelf. This process can cause mid-shelf frontogenesis even in the absence of favorable wind forcing. However, persistent northerly winds can substantially enhance mid-shelf frontogenesis, and increase the along-shore scale of the mid-shelf fronts off the Carolina Capes. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1995.