Coastal Waters Forecast
Issued by NWS Key West, FL
Issued by NWS Key West, FL
929 FZUS52 KKEY 032129 CWFKEY Coastal Waters Forecast for the Florida Keys National Weather Service Key West FL 429 PM EST Sat Jan 3 2026 Florida Bay, Hawk Channel and Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to south of Dry Tortugas, and the extreme southeastern Gulf of America, including The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Seas are given as significant wave height, which is the average height of the highest 1/3 of the waves. Individual waves may be more than twice the significant wave height. Wave Detail will include details about the period and direction of origin for the highest energy waves. Long-period swells coming from a different direction than the wind would be included in the Wave Detail. GMZ005-040930- Synopsis for Keys coastal waters from Ocean Reef to Dry Tortugas 429 PM EST Sat Jan 3 2026 .SYNOPSIS...High pressure centered just east of South Florida will maintain southwest to west breezes tonight. A weak front will pass through the Florida Keys marine zones late Sunday, allowing light breezes to clock around to the northwest, then quickly to the northeast Sunday night and Monday. As an area of high pressure slides eastward into the central North Atlantic, light to gentle northeast to east breezes will gradually freshen and veer to the east to southeast by mid-week. The Approximate Shoreward Edge of the Gulf Stream as of January 01... 14 NM South of Dry Tortugas Light...on Loggerhead Key. 14 NM South of Cosgrove Shoal Light...off the Marquesas Keys. 14 NM South of Sand Key Light...off Key West. 13 NM South of Looe Key...off Big Pine Key. 12 NM Southeast of Sombrero Key Light...off Marathon. 9 NM Southeast of Alligator Reef Light...off Islamorada. 3 NM Southeast of Molasses Reef Light...off Key Largo. 2 NM Southeast of Carysfort Reef Light...off Ocean Reef. Gulf Stream Information Courtesy of the National Weather Service in Key West based on products from NASA SPoRT and RTOFS. $$ GMZ031-040930- Florida Bay including Barnes Sound, Blackwater Sound, and Buttonwood Sound- 429 PM EST Sat Jan 3 2026 .TONIGHT...Variable winds near 5 knots, becoming southwest to west 5 to 10 knots. Bay waters smooth, becoming smooth to a light chop. .SUNDAY...Southwest to west winds near 10 knots, becoming west. Bay waters a light chop. Isolated showers. .SUNDAY NIGHT...West to northwest winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming north. Bay waters smooth to a light chop. .MONDAY...North to northeast winds near 5 knots. becoming northeast to east. Bay waters smooth. .MONDAY NIGHT...Northeast to east winds near 5 knots. Bay waters smooth. .TUESDAY...Northeast to east winds near 5 knots. Bay waters smooth. .TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...Northeast to east winds 5 to 10 knots. Bay waters smooth to a light chop. .WEDNESDAY NIGHT...East winds near 10 knots. Bay waters a light chop. .THURSDAY...East to southeast winds near 10 knots. Bay waters a light chop. .THURSDAY NIGHT...East to southeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Bay waters a light to moderate chop. $$ GMZ032-035-040930- Bayside and Gulfside from Craig Key to west end of Seven Mile Bridge- Gulf of America from west end of Seven Mile Bridge to Halfmoon Shoal out to 5 Fathoms- 429 PM EST Sat Jan 3 2026 .TONIGHT...South winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming southwest near 10 knots. Seas around 1 foot. Nearshore waters smooth to a light chop, becoming a light chop. Isolated showers. .SUNDAY...Southwest to west winds near 10 knots, becoming west. Seas 1 to 2 feet. Nearshore waters a light chop. Isolated showers. .SUNDAY NIGHT...West to northwest winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming north to northeast. Seas 1 to 2 feet, except around 2 feet west of the Marquesas Keys. Nearshore waters smooth to a light chop. .MONDAY...Northeast near 5 knots, becoming northeast to east. Seas 1 to 2 feet. Nearshore waters smooth. .MONDAY NIGHT...Northeast to east winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 1 foot, except 1 to 2 feet west of the Marquesas Keys. Nearshore waters smooth to a light chop. .TUESDAY...Northeast to east winds near 5 knots. Seas around 1 foot. Nearshore waters smooth. .TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...Northeast to east winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 1 foot. Nearshore waters smooth to a light chop. .WEDNESDAY NIGHT...East winds near 10 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet. Nearshore waters a light chop. .THURSDAY...East to southeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Nearshore waters a light to moderate chop. .THURSDAY NIGHT...East to southeast winds near 15 knots. Seas around 2 feet, except 2 to 3 feet west of the Marquesas Keys. Nearshore waters a moderate chop. $$ GMZ042>044-040930- Hawk Channel from Ocean Reef to Craig Key out to the reef- Hawk Channel from Craig Key to west end of Seven Mile Bridge out to the reef- Hawk Channel from west end of Seven Mile Bridge to Halfmoon Shoal out to the reef- 429 PM EST Sat Jan 3 2026 .TONIGHT...South to southwest winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming southwest to west. Seas around 1 foot. Nearshore waters smooth to a light chop. Isolated showers. .SUNDAY...Southwest to west winds near 10 knots, becoming west. Seas building to 1 to 2 feet, except building to 2 to 3 feet west of Cosgrove Shoal Light. Nearshore waters a light chop. Isolated showers. .SUNDAY NIGHT...West to northwest winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming north to northeast. Seas 1 to 2 feet, except 2 to 3 feet west of Cosgrove Shoal Light. Nearshore waters smooth to a light chop. .MONDAY...Northeast near 5 knots, becoming northeast to east. Seas subsiding to around 1 foot, except subsiding to 1 to 2 feet west of Cosgrove Shoal Light. Nearshore waters smooth. .MONDAY NIGHT...Northeast to east winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 1 foot, except 1 to 2 feet west of Cosgrove Shoal Light. Nearshore waters smooth to a light chop. .TUESDAY...Northeast to east winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 1 foot, except 1 to 2 feet west of Cosgrove Shoal Light. Nearshore waters smooth to a light chop. .TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...Northeast to east winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 1 foot, except 1 to 2 feet west of Cosgrove Shoal Light. Nearshore waters smooth to a light chop. .WEDNESDAY NIGHT...East winds near 10 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet, except around 2 feet west of Cosgrove Shoal Light. Nearshore waters a light chop. .THURSDAY...East to southeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas around 2 feet. Nearshore waters a light to moderate chop. .THURSDAY NIGHT...East to southeast winds near 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet, except around 3 feet west of Cosgrove Shoal Light. Nearshore waters a moderate chop. $$ GMZ052>055-072>075-040930- Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig Key out 20 NM- Straits of Florida from Craig Key to west end of Seven Mile Bridge out 20 NM- Straits of Florida from west end of Seven Mile Bridge to south of Halfmoon Shoal out 20 NM- Straits of Florida from Halfmoon Shoal to 20 NM west of Dry Tortugas out 20 NM- Straits of Florida from Ocean Reef to Craig Key 20 to 60 NM out- Straits of Florida from Craig Key to west end of Seven Mile Bridge 20 to 60 NM out- Straits of Florida from west end of Seven Mile Bridge to south of Halfmoon Shoal 20 to 60 NM out- Straits of Florida from Halfmoon Shoal to 20 NM west of Dry Tortugas 20 to 60 NM out- 429 PM EST Sat Jan 3 2026 .TONIGHT...Variable winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming southwest to west. Seas 1 to 2 feet. Wave Detail: Northeast to east 1 foot at 4 seconds. Isolated showers. .SUNDAY...Southwest to west winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming west and increasing to near 10 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet, except building to 2 to 3 feet west of Halfmoon Shoal Light. Wave Detail: Southwest to west 1 foot at 3 seconds and northeast to east 1 foot at 4 seconds. Isolated showers. .SUNDAY NIGHT...West to northwest winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming north to northeast. Seas 1 to 2 feet, except 2 to 3 feet west of Halfmoon Shoal Light. Wave Detail: West to northwest 2 feet at 7 seconds and northeast to east 1 foot at 2 seconds. Isolated showers. .MONDAY...Northeast near 5 to 10 knots, becoming northeast to east. Seas 1 to 2 feet, except around 2 feet west of Halfmoon Shoal Light. Isolated showers. .MONDAY NIGHT...Northeast to east winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet. .TUESDAY...Northeast to east winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet. .TUESDAY NIGHT...East winds near 10 knots. Seas building to 2 to 3 feet. .WEDNESDAY...East winds near 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. .WEDNESDAY NIGHT...East winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet. .THURSDAY...East to southeast winds near 15 knots. Seas 2 to 4 feet, occasionally to 5 feet. .THURSDAY NIGHT...East to southeast winds 15 to 20 knots. Seas 3 to 5 feet, occasionally to 6 feet. Isolated showers. $$ GMZ033-034-040930- Gulf of America from East Cape Sable to Chokoloskee 20 to 60 NM out and beyond 5 fathoms- Gulf of America including Dry Tortugas and Rebecca Shoal Channel- 429 PM EST Sat Jan 3 2026 .TONIGHT...Southwest to west winds 5 to 10 knots, increasing to near 10 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet, building to around 2 feet. Wave Detail: Southwest to west 2 feet at 5 seconds. Isolated showers. .SUNDAY...Southwest to west winds near 10 knots, becoming west. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: West 3 feet at 6 seconds. Isolated showers. .SUNDAY NIGHT...West to northwest winds 5 to 10 knots, becoming northeast. Seas 2 to 3 feet. Wave Detail: West to northwest 3 feet at 7 seconds. .MONDAY...Northeast to east winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet, subsiding to around 2 feet. .MONDAY NIGHT...Northeast to east winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet, subsiding to 1 to 2 feet. .TUESDAY...East winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet. .TUESDAY NIGHT...East winds 5 to 10 knots. Seas 1 to 2 feet. .WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...East winds near 10 knots. Seas around 2 feet. .THURSDAY...East to southeast winds 10 to 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. .THURSDAY NIGHT...East to southeast winds near 15 knots. Seas 2 to 3 feet. $$ MJV/BT