textproduct: Key West

KEY MESSAGES

- Very warm and humid conditions over the next few days will lead to bouts of major risk of heat illness in the afternoon hours, with little relief during the overnight periods. - Quick moving showers and storms may bring bursts of heavy rainfall, reduced visibility, and gusty winds through the weekend.

- Confidence is increasing in a potentially wet and thundery period for the middle to latter part of next week.

AVIATION

(18Z TAFS) Issued at 137 PM EDT Fri May 22 2026 VFR conditions will prevail at both island terminals through 18z Saturday afternoon. With that said, a passing shower or brief thunderstorm will be possible this afternoon, with another round possible in the nocturnally-favored late overnight period. Given radar trends, have added a small window of VCSH at MTH for now, but have otherwise left mention of VCSH out of the TAFs at this time due to the brevity and limited impacts to VISs and CIGs.

PREV DISCUSSION

Issued at 436 AM EDT Fri May 22 2026 Surface high pressure centered just east of Bermuda will continue to dominate the Keys weather through the holiday weekend. A secondary high is expected to drift southeastward from the Canadian Maritimes and New England replacing the current high to the east of Bermuda. This will continue to promote moderate breezes this morning becoming gentle to moderate this afternoon. Breezes will continue to peak in the evenings and overnight and lull in the afternoon as the secondary high replaces the previous high. As the secondary high takes over during the weekend, breezes will freshen back to fresh east to southeast breezes through the holiday into the middle of next week. Persistent moisture rotating around the ridge will keep mainly chances for showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the forecast through the holiday weekend. Temperatures will remain quite consistent through the holiday weekend with highs in the upper 80s to occasionally 90 degrees and overnight lows in the lower 80s to perhaps the upper 70s with any showers.

MARINE

Issued at 1048 AM EDT Fri May 22 2026 Small Craft Should Exercise Caution headlines may be required tonight for portions or all of the Keys marine zones, as breezes freshen after sunset. From synopsis, high pressure centered east of Bermuda will maintain mainly gentle to moderate breezes this afternoon. The surface pattern will remain generally unchanged for the next few days, with breezes peaking to near fresh in the evening and overnight hours, slackening to gentle to moderate in the late morning and afternoon hours. A second high pressure system will reinforce the first, supporting fresh east to southeast breezes late in the weekend into early next week.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Key West 81 91 81 91 / 30 30 30 30 Marathon 80 87 80 87 / 30 30 30 30

KEY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

FL...None. GM...None.