textproduct: Key West

KEY MESSAGES

- A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for all Florida Keys coastal waters. Breezy to windy conditions are expected to persist for several more days. - Little to no rain will maintain continued moderate drought conditions in the Florida Keys for the next week.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1010 PM EDT Sat Apr 11 2026 Data from the Key West evening radiosonde balloon indicated a well-mixed layer from the surface to about 5400 feet elevation, where a strong subsidence inversion layer was based. Very dry air was present above this altitude. Steady ENE winds prevailed in the mixed layer, with winds shifting to increasing westerlies with height throughout the middle and upper troposphere. The governing feature of the current weather regime across the Florida Keys is a robust, deep layer mean anticyclone centered near southern Mexico, with a sharp ridge extending northward across central North America. This system supports a sprawling surface high pressure cell extending from Ontario to the western Caribbean. Fresh to occasionally strong ENE surface winds in the Keys are rooted in modified continental polar air. As such, the air mass is on the pleasant side, with current air temperatures in the mid 70s and dewpoint temperatures just under 60F in most Keys island communities. The rather dry, difluent northeasterly flow and stable air mass preclude any significant precipitation across the service area, and opaque cloud cover has been less than 25 percent, mainly from transient cumulus. Relative humidity values dropped below 50 percent during a few hours this afternoon, but have since recovered into the 50s.

More of the same is expected overnight, and really for the next several days. Air temperatures should only fall a few more degrees before sunrise, and breezy conditions will persist through the night.

MARINE

Issued at 1010 PM EDT Sat Apr 11 2026 A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for all Florida Keys coastal waters. Winds dipped a few knots during the afternoon hours, and then surged again within the last few hours. Currently, steady ENE winds near 20 knots prevail with frequent gusts of 23-25 knots at most stations. The Scripps CDIP buoy at Satan Shoal SW of Key West is currently measuring significant wave heights of 4-5 feet. An expansive high pressure cell over the eastern United States will shift slightly eastward and intensify over the next 24 hours, maintaining fresh to occasionally strong ENE breezes overnight through Sunday, with winds surging a few more knots Sunday evening.

AVIATION

(00Z TAFS) Issued at 1010 PM EDT Sat Apr 11 2026 Through 12/24Z, prevailing VFR conditions are expected at both EYW and MTH.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Key West 83 72 83 73 / 20 10 10 10 Marathon 81 72 82 73 / 10 10 10 10

KEY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

FL...None. GM...Small Craft Advisory in effect for GMZ031-GMZ032-GMZ033-GMZ034-GMZ035-GMZ042- GMZ043-GMZ044-GMZ052-GMZ053-GMZ054-GMZ055- GMZ072-GMZ073-GMZ074-GMZ075.