NWS Key West FLMA.W 0302September 30, 2026
Special Marine Warning: Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound, Hawk Channel from Ocean Reef to Craig Key out to the reef and Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to
The National Weather Service office in Key West issued a special marine warning for Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound, Hawk Channel from Ocean Reef to Craig Key out to the reef and Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig Key out 20 NM, which was in force until 12:45 p.m. local time on September 30. It was the 302nd special marine warning the NWS office in Key West issued in 2026.
ExpiredWarning
In force for 38 minutes; it has expired. The agency may have replaced it with a new notice.
The notice
- Issued by
- National Weather Service, Key West FL
- Area
- Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound, Hawk Channel from Ocean Reef to Craig Key out to the reef and Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig Key out 20 NM
- Level
- Warning
- Issued
- 12:07 p.m. EDT, September 30, 2026
- Expires
- 12:45 p.m. EDT, September 30, 2026
- CAP severity, certainty, urgency
- Severe, Likely, Immediate
- VTEC event
- KKEY MA.W 0302
- Official source
- National Weather Service: the notice at its source
NWS notices, September 2026The latest from the National Weather Service
Source: National Weather Service: the notice at its source. AreaZine rebuilds this page from the agency's record; the agency's page is the one to act on. A U.S. Government work, in the public domain.
The notice as issued
SMWKEY The National Weather Service in Key West has issued a * Special Marine Warning for... Hawk Channel and Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig Key out 20 nm... Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound... * Until 1245 PM EDT. * At 1206 PM EDT, strong thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Barnes Sound to Baker Cut to near Alligator Reef Light, moving northwest at 20 knots. HAZARD...Wind gusts 34 knots or greater. SOURCE...National Weather Service Meteorologist. IMPACT...Expect wind gusts in excess of 34 knots, suddenly higher waves, frequent lightning, and heavy downpours. * Locations in the warning include... Buttonwood Sound, Coon Key, Mosquito Bank Light, Tavernier Creek, Dump Keys, Mosquito Point, and French Ref.
What the agency told people to do
Boaters should seek safe harbor as quickly, and as safely as possible. When downpours reduce visibility, slow down.
Source: National Weather Service: the notice at its source. The text is the agency's, unedited. A U.S. Government work, in the public domain.