Special Marine Warning Issued for Pensacola Bay and Coastal Waters Through 7:00 AM CDT
This alert is no longer in effect.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 the Pensacola Bay area and surrounding coastal waters as strong thunderstorms with 34-knot wind gusts move through the region.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Special Marine Warning
- Affected area
- Gulf Coast
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Mobile AL
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 Gulf Coast.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama, has issued a Special Marine Warning for the Pensacola Bay area and adjacent coastal waters. The alert was issued at 5:24 AM CDT on March 8, 2026, and remains in effect for the next 90 minutes.
Affected Areas
The warning covers several key maritime zones and coastal regions, including:
- Pensacola Bay Area including Santa Rosa Sound
- Coastal waters from Pensacola, FL, to Pascagoula, MS, out to 20 nautical miles
- Coastal waters from the Okaloosa-Walton County Line to Pensacola, FL, out to 20 nautical miles
Specific locations impacted include Pensacola Beach, Pensacola Pass, Fort Pickens, East Bay, Pensacola Bay Bridge, Garcon Point Bridge, Pensacola Bay, Navarre Beach, and both East and West Santa Rosa Sound.
What You Should Do
Mariners and residents in the affected areas should move to safe harbor immediately. The National Weather Service warns that gusty winds and high waves are expected to create hazardous conditions for small craft. Additionally, frequent lightning is occurring with these storms. If caught on open water, stay below deck if possible and keep away from ungrounded metal objects.
Expected Conditions
At 5:24 AM CDT, radar indicated a line of strong thunderstorms extending from near Blackwater Bay Bridge to near Big Lagoon, moving east at 15 knots. The primary hazard identified is wind gusts of 34 knots or greater. These conditions are expected to cause suddenly higher waves, which could damage small craft.
Timeline
The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately as of 5:24 AM CDT and is scheduled to expire at 7:00 AM CDT on March 8, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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