FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE:
Here is a Florida Keys marine weather update:
- Small Craft Advisories likely will be required tonight
- Sustained winds 25 to 30 knots with occasional gusts near 35 knots
A continental-Polar air mass spilling southeast out of the Central United States will drive an early-season cold front into the Florida Keys this evening. These early season cold fronts tend to stall very near, or just to the south of the Florida Keys, lending to several days of windier, cloudier, and potentially rainier weather. As the cool air rushes across the relatively warm (lower to mid-80s) sea surface temperatures, the boisterous winds in the boundary layer will mix down to the surface. Because of this mechanical mixing, the observed winds likely will be 10-20% higher than the raw model output from mobile weather applications. The NWS forecast takes this bias into account.
Northeast breezes will freshen tonight and Thursday and peak at 25 to 30 knots Thursday through Friday night, combined with occasional gale-force gusts approaching 35 knots. Most of the wet weather will be displaced to the south in the Straits of Florida, at least initially. Look for the lower levels of the atmosphere to moisten by Friday or Saturday, which will support scattered rain squalls. Small Craft Advisory conditions and winds greater than 20 knots likely will persist into Monday or Tuesday of next week.
Preparations such as reducing windage, chaff protection, and hatch sealing should be complete by this afternoon.
Please consult the following links for the latest marine weather and forecast information:
Florida Keys Coastal Waters Forecasts:
Hourly Marine Weather Graphs:
https://www.weather.gov/key/marineweathergraph
Wave Graphics from our Nearshore Wave Prediction System: