Special Marine Warning for Apalachee Bay and Coastal Florida Waters Until 7:30 AM EDT
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The National Weather Service has issued a Special Marine Warning for Apalachee Bay and Florida coastal waters as a severe thunderstorm capable of producing waterspouts moves through the area.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Florida Coastal Waters
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Tallahassee
Marine notices apply to named waters or shoreline zones. They may not describe conditions on land, even when the nearest place name is the same.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Florida Coastal Waters.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee FL has issued a Special Marine Warning for several coastal and offshore zones in the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend region. The alert is effective immediately and remains in place until 7:30 AM EDT on March 16, 2026.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following maritime regions:
- Apalachee Bay or Coastal Waters from Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River FL out to 20 nautical miles.
- Coastal Waters from Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 nautical miles.
- Coastal waters from Suwannee River to Keaton Beach out 20 nautical miles.
- Waters from Suwannee River to Apalachicola FL from 20 to 60 nautical miles.
Specific locations impacted include V Tower, Buckeye Reef, K Tower, and Marker 24 Barge.
What You Should Do
Mariners are urged to move to safe harbor immediately until the hazardous weather passes. All persons on board vessels should be in a secure location and wearing life jackets. Thunderstorms can produce sudden waterspouts that can easily overturn boats and create locally hazardous seas. Seek safe harbor immediately.
Expected Conditions
At 5:57 AM EDT, radar indicated a severe thunderstorm near V Tower, moving northeast at 30 knots. This storm is capable of producing:
- Waterspouts: These can form quickly, damage vessels, and capsize boats.
- Wind: Gusts of 34 knots or greater.
- Seas: Suddenly higher waves.
- Additional Hazards: Frequent lightning and heavy downpours.
Timeline
The warning was issued at 5:58 AM EDT and is currently scheduled to expire at 7:30 AM EDT on March 16, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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