textproduct: Key West

KEY MESSAGES

-Fresh to strong northeast to east breezes will peak this evening through early Tuesday morning. -A Small Craft Advisory is in effect for all Florida Keys coastal waters. The hazardous marine conditions will persist into mid- week.

-Slight rain chances are expected through Tuesday night, as shallow moisture remains across the Keys.

AVIATION

(18Z TAFS) Issued at 1240 PM EST Mon Dec 22 2025 While a passing shower cannot be ruled out in the fresh to strong northeast to easterlies, chances are far to low include mention in the TAFs at the time. Winds will frequently gust 20 to 25 knots in the vicinity of the terminals through 18z Tuesday afternoon.

MARINE

Issued at 1052 AM EST Mon Dec 22 2025 A Small Craft Advisory remains in effect for all Florida Keys marine zones. From synopsis, strong high pressure centered over the Mid-Atlantic will move off the North Carolina Coast tonight. The high will then move farther out into the North Atlantic, slowly weakening and flattening, as a low pressure system develops off the New England Coast. This will promote strong northeast peaking this afternoon and tonight. Another high will build behind the low pressure system Tuesday and Tuesday night. This will result in fresh northeast to east breezes persisting through Thursday. Breezes will slacken Thursday night through Friday night, as this second high also weakens and flattens.

PREV DISCUSSION

Issued at 430 AM EST Mon Dec 22 2025 The main story for the next several days will be a strong surface high currently over the Virginias. This high will continue moving to the east emerging off the North Carolina coast tonight into early Tuesday morning. This will promote fresh to strong northeast to east breezes this morning and afternoon. Breezes peak this evening through early Tuesday morning. The high will continue moving farther out into the North Atlantic weakening and flattening due to an area of low pressure developing behind it off the New England Coast. While breezes won't be as strong as this evening into early Tuesday evening, breezy conditions are expected to continue through at least Christmas morning. In regards to moisture, since radar has been showing a boundary moving southwestward through the Keys early this morning, opted to place slight chance PoPs (10%) in for today. Most of the moisture is in the lowest levels of the atmosphere below 850 mb. Therefore, these showers will mostly be light, occasionally moderate bringing a quick trace to few hundredths of an inch of rainfall as they move through. Due to the northeast to easterly flow and low level moisture remaining in place, slight chance PoPs (10%) have been maintained for tonight through Tuesday night. In addition, the northeast to east blow will lead to a modified continental air mass being advected into the Keys which should lead to lowering humidity (dew points lower to mid 60s) as the week progresses.

High pressure continues to weaken late week across the Keys resulting in slackening breezes. Drier air moves into the area for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day resulting in a dry forecast. The dry conditions are expected to continue into the weekend, though, there are some indications the second half of the weekend will lead to slight chances returning.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Key West 79 72 78 72 / 10 10 10 10 Marathon 79 72 79 71 / 10 10 10 10

KEY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

FL...None. GM...Small Craft Advisory until 5 AM EST Tuesday for GMZ031>035- 042>044-052>055-072>075.