textproduct: Key West

KEY MESSAGES

-Gentle to moderate northeast to east breezes and fair weather will prevail across the Florida Keys today through Sunday.

-An expanding and intensifying area of continental high pressure will result in a period of fresh to strong breezes and sporty seas next week, beginning Sunday night and likely persisting through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

DISCUSSION

Issued at 1008 AM EST Sat Dec 20 2025 Water vapor imagery highlights an abnormally deamplified and zonal winter pattern across the CONUS. CIMSS mean layer analyses suggest the same, although deep layer ridging sticks out across the Western Caribbean. The 12Z height analyses from the KKEY and KXMR RAOBs highlight stable or rising heights at all SGLs. Satellite imagery and surface observations place a weak baroclinic zone between the Keys and the Bahamas, with dewpoints in the mid to upper 60s across the Keys and dewpoints in the lower to mid 70s across central Cuba and the Bahamas. WPC paints this feature as a stalled frontal boundary, although the tail of the front likely bisects Cuba. A few short- lived showers percolated along this boundary earlier this morning.

For the remainder of the afternoon, moderate northeast breezes draining off the Mainland will diminish as the low mid-December sun angle slowly heats up South Florida. Rain chances are nil, although a few showers may struggle across the Straits off of the Upper Keys. Afternoon highs will approach 80 degrees. The forecast is on track and needs no adjustments.

MARINE

Issued at 1008 AM EST Sat Dec 20 2025 There are no watches, warnings, or advisories currently in effect for the coastal waters of the Florida Keys. From synopsis, a continental high pressure cell will advance eastward from the southeastern United States to the western North Atlantic this weekend. This high will be reinforced by cold continental air Sunday and Sunday night, and fresh to strong northeast to east breezes are expected to develop across all Florida Keys coastal waters Sunday night. Fresh to strong northeast to east breezes will peak and lull through at least Christmas Eve.

AVIATION

(18Z TAFS) Issued at 1238 PM EST Sat Dec 20 2025 VFR and gentle northeast breezes will prevail at the EYW and MTH terminals through the evening.

KEY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

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