Special Marine Warning Issued for Florida Coastal Waters Near Tarpon Springs and Suwannee River
This alert is no longer in effect.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.
Severe thunderstorms capable of producing waterspouts and 34-knot wind gusts have prompted a Special Marine Warning for coastal Florida waters until 6:00 PM EST.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- West Central Florida Coastal Waters
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Tampa Bay
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 West Central Florida Coastal Waters.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Tampa Bay Ruskin FL has issued a Special Marine Warning for coastal and offshore waters. The alert is effective immediately and remains in place until 6:00 PM EST on February 15, 2026.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following regions:
- Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM.
- Waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 to 60 NM.
Specific locations impacted include Ozello, Crystal River, Cedar Key, and Yankeetown.
What You Should Do
Mariners and residents in the affected areas should take the following precautions:
- Move to safe harbor immediately until hazardous weather passes.
- Ensure all persons on board vessels are in a secure location and wearing life jackets.
- Remain vigilant as waterspouts can form quickly and have the potential to become tornadoes if they move onshore.
- Monitor local weather updates, as a Tornado Watch also remains in effect for northern Florida until 8:00 PM EST.
Expected Conditions
At 4:23 PM EST, radar indicated severe thunderstorms located along a line extending from 6 nm northwest of Yankeetown to 61 nm west of Anclote Key, moving east at 25 knots.
Primary hazards include:
- Waterspouts: Capable of capsizing boats and damaging vessels.
- Wind: Gusts of 34 knots or greater.
- Waves: Suddenly higher waves and turbulent seas.
- Additional Hazards: Frequent lightning and heavy downpours.
Timeline
The Special Marine Warning is active from 4:25 PM EST until 6:00 PM EST. The broader Tornado Watch for northern Florida is scheduled to expire at 8:00 PM EST.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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