Small Craft Advisory Issued for Florida Keys Waters Amid Gusty Winds

The National Weather Service office in Key West issued a Small Craft Advisory Thursday for northern Florida Keys waters, Hawk Channel, and the eastern Florida Straits after gusty winds reached up to 40 mph at Carysfort Reef, the lighthouse station off Ocean Reef at the northern tip of the Keys chain.

Northeast to east winds pushed seas to 2 to 3 feet in Hawk Channel and 4 to 6 feet in the Florida Straits, with occasional swells reaching 8 feet in the eastern sections. Bay and Gulf-side waters built from 1 to 2 feet toward 2 to 3 feet through the day, leaving nearshore conditions rough for smaller vessels.

The advisory came alongside a Coastal Flood Statement covering the Middle and Upper Keys through late Thursday night, driven by elevated northwesterly swell. NWS Key West urged mariners and shoreside residents to take precautions near fixed bridges and in areas of low elevation, where saltwater intrusion is a recurring concern even under moderate wind events.

The breezy pattern was not expected to clear quickly. Forecasters expressed high confidence that windy conditions would persist through at least early next week, well beyond the weekend window most recreational boaters plan around. Scattered showers remained possible across Keys waters through the advisory period.

Carysfort Reef, which sits roughly 2 nautical miles southeast of the Carysfort Reef Light off Key Largo, is one of the upper Keys' primary observation points for open-water wind readings and serves as a key benchmark for NWS Key West marine advisories affecting the Ocean Reef-to-Craig Key corridor.

Mariners are advised to monitor updated forecasts from NWS Key West before heading out, as conditions in the Florida Straits in particular can deteriorate faster than Bay-side waters suggest.