Special Marine Warning Issued for Florida Bay and Florida Keys Waters Through 5:00 PM EST
This alert is no longer in effect.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 Florida Bay and the Florida Keys as strong thunderstorms capable of producing waterspouts and 40-knot winds move through the area.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Florida Keys and Florida Bay
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Key West
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 Keys and Florida Bay.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Key West has issued a Special Marine Warning (SMW) for the Florida Bay and surrounding coastal waters. The alert was issued at 4:02 PM EST following the detection of strong thunderstorms in the region.
Affected Areas
The warning covers a broad area of marine zones, including:
- Florida Bay, including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound.
- Bayside and Gulfside waters from Craig Key to the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge.
- Hawk Channel from Ocean Reef to the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge out to the reef.
- Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge out to 20 nautical miles.
- Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig Key between 20 and 60 nautical miles offshore.
Specific locations identified in the warning include Whale Harbor, Islamorada Hump, Tennessee Reef Light, Twin Keys, Steam Boat Channel, 409 Humps, and Cotton Key.
What You Should Do
Boaters currently in the warning area should seek safe harbor as quickly and safely as possible. If heavy downpours reduce visibility, operators are advised to slow down immediately. Waterspouts can form rapidly and have the potential to capsize vessels, cause considerable damage, and create suddenly higher waves.
Expected Conditions
At 4:02 PM EST, a line of strong thunderstorms was located from Steam Boat Channel to near Conch Reef, moving south at 15 knots. Hazards associated with this system include:
- Possible waterspouts.
- Wind gusts of 34 knots or greater (with potential for gusts exceeding 40 knots).
- Small hail.
- Frequent lightning and heavy downpours.
Timeline
The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately as of 4:02 PM EST and is scheduled to remain in effect until 5:00 PM EST on March 1, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
Related Weather Alerts
All Weather Alerts →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this NWS weather alert.