604 FXUS62 KTBW 111721 AFDTBWArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL 121 PM EDT Sat Oct 11 2025
...New DISCUSSION, AVIATION, MARINE, FIRE WEATHER...
.KEY MESSAGES... Issued at 115 PM EDT Sat Oct 11 2025
- Hazardous marine conditions will continue through the weekend. Winds of 20 to 25 knots are forecast in coastal waters north of Englewood, creating seas of 5 to 8 feet offshore and 3 to 5 feet nearshore. Tampa Bay will see wave heights of 2 to 4 feet south of the Interbay Peninsula to Egmont Key.
- There is only a 10% to 20% chance of showers today across SWFL and southern interior areas. Otherwise, drier and pleasant weather is forecast through midweek before gradual warming takes place late in the week. The next significant cold front arrives late next weekend.
.DISCUSSION... Issued at 105 PM EDT Sat Oct 11 2025
A stubborn stratus deck has been rather slow to erode and mix out as low level moisture continues to linger in the northeasterly flow but skies will continue to clear through this evening and especially overnight as low level moisture gradually scours out. The rather persistent low clouds observed so far today have generally kept any opportunity for the atmosphere to destabilize at a minimum but there has been a bit more clearing for southern portions of the area so there may be just enough development of instability to support a few low-topped showers in southern portions of the forecast area through the remainder of the day. Otherwise, rain-free conditions are expected elsewhere, especially north of I-4, through this evening and the decreasing low level moisture will yield much less cloud cover on Sunday, which will bring a slight boost in temperatures as well with highs in the low/mid 80s. These values will still remain a few degrees below normal tomorrow due to the presence of a mid level trough/low that is currently across the region but will continue to close off through tonight. Meanwhile, a coastal low gradually deepens as it lifts from offshore of the Atlantic coast of FL to offshore of the Carolinas by tonight. As the upper low/trough pull away from the area in the coming days, the coastal low starts to stall as it becomes increasingly occluded before eventually pushing further offshore early to mid week next week. This overall synoptic pattern will help to maintain a mostly northerly flow across west central and southwest Florida initially in the low levels this weekend before becoming a deeper northerly flow into the new week with the passage of the trough axis aloft. This will bring in a much drier air mass and keep temperatures a touch below normal values tomorrow as previously mentioned, but despite the northerly flow into early next week, highs should recover to near normal values by Monday as heights aloft increase with building ridging across the southern Plains.
The aforementioned broad ridge in control across the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley and surface high pressure building in from the north will be in full control through the majority of next week, maintaining a prolonged stretch of dry weather and more comfortable humidity levels. Highs do return to near climatological normal values by around mid week and will increase a bit further by the end of the week as the low level flow becomes increasingly more easterly with less marine influence. Regardless, this pattern will favor pleasant weather conditions with PWATs generally around an inch or so each day so expect mainly sunny skies and no rainfall to generally prevail. There may then be a slight uptick in moisture by next week ahead of the next frontal system, though a consensus blend of PoPs keeps PoPs generally below 20% through the end of the forecast period at this time.
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.AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 105 PM EDT Sat Oct 11 2025
Low CIGs have lingered for much of the day so some MVFR CIGs may occur for the first hour or two of the TAF period, but CIGs will lift to VFR area-wide later this afternoon. VFR conditions will then prevail area-wide through the remainder of the period as dry air builds into the area with winds NE winds shifting to more northerly overnight into Sunday.
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.MARINE... Issued at 105 PM EDT Sat Oct 11 2025
Small Craft Advisory conditions continue in central and southern marine zones, including Tampa Bay waters, as breezy NE winds continue on the backside of a coastal low in the southwest Atlantic. The Small Craft Advisory conditions should diminish tonight but small Craft should exercise caution into Sunday morning. Winds shift northerly on Sunday below 15 kts with seas gradually easing to 4 ft or less for the eastern Gulf waters. By early next week, seas fall to 2 ft or less with winds primarily out of the northeast as high pressure builds north of the area, though brief periods of exercise caution conditions may be possible at times by mid week.
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.FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 105 PM EDT Sat Oct 11 2025
Deeper moisture is beginning to depart the area as a drier air mass builds in behind a coastal system lifting into the Carolinas later this weekend. As this drier air builds in, minimum RH values are anticipated to lower this weekend and into next week with values possibly reaching around 40 percent by Tuesday. However, wind speeds will remain below critical levels so this should prevent red flag conditions from developing.
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.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TPA 68 84 68 87 / 0 0 0 0 FMY 68 85 68 87 / 10 0 0 0 GIF 65 84 64 87 / 0 0 0 10 SRQ 67 83 66 85 / 0 0 0 0 BKV 61 83 60 85 / 0 0 0 10 SPG 68 81 70 84 / 0 0 0 0
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.TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. Gulf waters...Small Craft Advisory until 2 AM EDT Sunday for Coastal waters from Englewood to Tarpon Springs FL out 20 NM-Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM- Tampa Bay waters-Waters from Englewood to Tarpon Springs FL out 20 to 60 NM-Waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 to 60 NM.
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DISCUSSION/AVIATION/MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...Giarratana DECISION SUPPORT...Carlisle UPPER AIR/CLIMATE...Carlisle
NWS TBW Office Area Forecast Discussion