


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Key West, FL
Issued by NWS Key West, FL
949 FXUS62 KKEY 051001 CCA AFDKEY Area Forecast Discussion...CORRECTED National Weather Service Key West FL 601 AM EDT Sat Jul 5 2025 ...New DISCUSSION, MARINE, AVIATION... .DISCUSSION... Issued at 419 AM EDT Sat Jul 5 2025 Activity has picked up across the forecast area during the overnight shift, and it is just a little bit more active than our previous overnight. Last night, we were lacking a lifting mechanism to get anything going, but some lower level confluence over the past few hours has encouraged some showers in the area. Automated observations along the island chain show rainfall amounts of only a few hundredths of an inch, which isn`t surprising because nothing on radar has looked particularly impressive. Radar estimated rainfall amounts for showers over the nearby waters also show fairly meager values, but this will likely change during the day today when daytime heating can aid in setting up a more unstable environment. IR imagery from GOES-19 shows that the impressive, deep convection is well to our northeast, associated with Tropical Depression Three. Our proximity to this system will result in sustained southwesterly flow today, and this could lead to the development for a reverse cloudline. On top of that, CIMSS PWAT currently shows values over 2 inches across most of the region. We still have a few hours before our 12Z balloon is launched, and before we can see a real- time vertical profile of the atmosphere, but CIRA LPW imagery suggests that we are fairly moist between the surface and 500 mb. With the atmosphere primed, we will continue to lean on 50 percent PoPs for today, but bring down PoPs for tonight to 40 percent due to a sliver or relatively drier air embedded in the flow. After today, the disturbances off of the southeastern coast will lift to the northeast, and ridging will be the dominate pattern again across the area. The ridge axis looks like it will lift through Florida sometime between Sunday night and Monday night. An embedded pocket of drier air will help to bring PoPs down to a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. What happens after that still bears great uncertainty. Guidance is picking up on fluctuating PoPs and sky cover over the Tuesday through Thursday timeframe. Global models are resolving either a TUTT or an inverted ridge undercutting the high pressure. This is reflected in the PoPs fluctuating between 20 and 40 percent over the second half of the week, but the precise details will need to be worked out in a future forecast package since we are a little too far out from honing in on any meaningful details. && .MARINE... Issued at 419 AM EDT Sat Jul 5 2025 There are no watches, warnings, or advisories issued for the Florida Keys local waters. From synopsis, a deep trough complex over the Southeast US and Florida will maintain gentle southwest breezes across the Florida Keys through the today. As the trough lifts northeast starting Sunday, a weak ridge axis will rebuild across the Keys and South Florida, resulting in a return to generally light to gentle easterly breezes. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 419 AM EDT Sat Jul 5 2025 VFR conditions are expected to prevail at the terminals through the TAF period, though brief transient episodes of MVFR CIGs and visibilities are possible as sky coverage waxes and wanes and with any passing showers. VCTS has been included in the TAFs through 18z due to elevated (50%) chances, but it`s likely that most time between now and then will be TS-free. Winds are expected to continue to remain from the southwest at 5 to 10 knots, though higher gusts are possible with passing showers. && .CLIMATE... In 2021, Tropical Storm Elsa moved roughly 55 miles west of Key West late July 5th through early afternoon July 6th, with the center of the storm passing in between Key West and the Dry Tortugas. It produced maximum sustained winds of 52 mph at Key West international Airport and 48 knots at Smith Shoal Light, with wind gusts to 70 mph and 58 knots, respectively. Rainfall totals were the highest in Key West as well with Key West International Airport measuring 4.49 inches, the NWS Key West office measuring 6.62 inches, with a maximum rainfall amount of 7.54 inches on Catherine Street in Key West. No significant impacts were noted from Tropical Storm Elsa with the exception of significant street flooding of 6 to 10 inches in depth in Old Town and Midtown Key West as strong rain bands with high rainfall rates moved across the island. Otherwise, most damage was confined to widely-separated downed tree limbs from Key West to the Saddlebunch Keys due to nearly 13 hours of Tropical-Storm-Force gusts. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Key West 90 82 91 82 / 50 40 20 20 Marathon 89 81 89 82 / 50 40 20 20 && .KEY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. GM...None. && $$ Public/Marine/Fire...DP Aviation/Nowcasts....MC Data Acquisition.....MC Visit us on the web at weather.gov/key Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at: www.facebook.com/nwskeywest www.twitter.com/nwskeywest