Special Marine Warning Issued for Florida Panhandle Coastal Waters

Source: NOAA · Florida Panhandle Coastal Waters

This alert is no longer in effect.

NOAA issued it on August 19, 2026, 4 days 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.

NWS Tallahassee FL has issued a Special Marine Warning for multiple coastal waters and bays until 11:00 PM EDT due to strong thunderstorms with wind gusts 34 knots or greater.

Read this weather record in 30 seconds

Record type
Special Marine Warning
Affected area
Florida Panhandle Coastal Waters
Issued
August 19, 2026
Issuing authority
NWS Tallahassee FL

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 days ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in Florida Panhandle Coastal Waters.

Alert Details

Special Marine Warning issued by NWS Tallahassee FL. Effective from August 18, 2026 at 9:29 PM EDT until August 18, 2026 at 11:00 PM EDT.

Affected Areas

St. Andrews Bay Waterways; Coastal waters from Okaloosa-Walton County Line to Mexico Beach out 20 NM; Coastal Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola out 20 NM; Coastal Waters From Ochlockonee River to Apalachicola FL out to 20 Nm; Waters from Okaloosa-Walton County Line to Mexico Beach from 20 to 60 NM; Waters from Mexico Beach to Apalachicola FL from 20 to 60 NM; Waters from Suwannee River to Apalachicola FL from 20 to 60 NM.

What You Should Do

Move to safe harbor immediately as gusty winds and high waves are expected. Frequent lightning is occurring with these storms. If caught on the open water stay below deck if possible, keep away from ungrounded metal objects. Make sure all on board are wearing life jackets.

Expected Conditions

Strong thunderstorms located along a line extending from 20 nm southwest of Mexico Beach to 10 nm northeast of Apalachicola, moving south at 30 knots. Hazard includes wind gusts 34 knots or greater. Expect wind gusts in excess of 34 knots, suddenly higher waves, frequent lightning, and heavy downpours.

Timeline

Alert effective August 18, 2026 at 9:29 PM EDT and expires August 18, 2026 at 11:00 PM EDT.

Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗

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Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8

Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this NWS weather alert: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this NWS weather alert.

What is this NWS weather alert about?
NWS Tallahassee FL has issued a Special Marine Warning for multiple coastal waters and bays until 11:00 PM EDT due to strong thunderstorms with wind gusts 34 knots or greater.
Which agency issued this alert?
This alert was issued by NOAA. The original notice is available at the source link at the bottom of this article.
How severe is this alert?
This alert is classified as "high" severity. Take precautions and monitor for updates.
What area is affected?
This alert affects Florida Panhandle Coastal Waters. Check with NOAA for the most current geographic scope.
Where can I find more Weather Alerts updates?
Browse the full Weather Alerts feed on Areazine at areazine.com/weather/ for the latest updates from NOAA and other agencies.