Boating Weather in South Florida

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Florida Boating Weather

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Florida Boating - Weather Overview

1. Understand the direction of the wind. Because of the Gulf Stream, winds from the northwest, north and northeast tend to be the most dangerous.

2. NEVER go out in the Gulf Stream in a strong wind from the north, northwest or northeast. See #1 above. This is the cardinal rule of boating in south Florida.

3. Winds from the east can be dangerous in that most south Florida inlets are east-west, so heavy east winds can drive large waves directly into the inlet.

4. Winter has the strongest winds and a large percentage are out of the dangerous north. For this reason, winter seas are generally the roughest.

5. Summer is the opposite. Winds tend to be lighter and come from directions other than the north. These are the times of calm seas.

6. Spring and fall are transition periods and lie between the extremes of summer and winter.

7. Most waves are generated by wind speeds in the immediate / regional area. Because of the Bahamas, we do not get large swells from storms thousands of miles out in the Atlantic.

8. Summer is the rainy season and afternoon squalls and thunderstorms are a fact of life.

9. Ditto for waterspouts.

10. Fog is rare. Heavy fog is extremely rare.

The Gulf Stream
One of the of the world’s great ocean currents, the Gulf Stream runs roughly south to north at 2-5 knots as it squeezes between the coast of Florida and the islands of the Bahamas. The Gulf Stream meanders a bit but normally the western edge is within a few miles of the coast of south Florida. The eastern edge lies just off the islands of the Bahamas.

The waters in the current are warmer than surrounding ocean temperatures and the result is that the Gulf Stream forms a slight hump in the ocean – though the slope is so gradual you don’t notice it by sight.

Unlike the rest of the eastern seaboard, the coastal waters of south Florida are not open to the full force of the Atlantic ocean. In practical terms, this means we do not get huge ocean swells from storms way out in the Atlantic, they are blocked by the islands of the Bahamas and the shallow Bahama Banks. Instead, our waves are generated by winds in the immediate area. In fact, the waters off south Florida are technically known as the Straits of Florida.

Florida Boating Weather

Wind Terminology

Winds are listed by the direction from which they blow. A strong northerly wind means the wind is blowing from the north.

Wind and the Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream, in and of itself, is not the danger. It can be utterly terrifying. Or it can be utterly peaceful. But it is seldom random. Everything depends on the wind, specifically its intensity and direction, and how it interacts with the Stream.

As noted above, the Gulf Stream flows from south to north. Actually it is very slightly southwest to slightly northeast, but for practical purposes it can be considered to flow northward.

The danger arises when the winds blow out of the north and clash with the Gulf Stream which is flowing from the south. When these north, northwest or northeast winds hit the Gulf Stream, its waves become larger, steeper and more closely spaced. This is a recipe for ugly and dangerous seas.

Dangerous Northerly Winds in the Gulf Stream

It cannot be emphasized strongly enough. During strong northerly (NW/N/NE) winds, the Gulf Stream becomes unsafe for anything other than the largest naval ships.

High winds, from any direction, will generate rough seas. But high winds with a northward component (NW/N/NE) will be particularly nasty because of their interaction with the Gulf Stream.

Florida Boating Weather

Wind Patterns During the Year
During the winter months, winds tend to be stronger and more often come from the north. Naturally this results in winter being the roughest season of the year in terms of offshore boating. Lot’s of rocking and rolling. When cold fronts roll in from the north they usually bring with them strong northerly winds and the seas can become impassable for days on end. Summer is the complete opposite, winds tend to be weaker and from the safer southeast direction resulting in calmer seas. Translation, hello Bimini!

Offshore Wind Patterns

Offshore wind patterns - south Florida

Rainy Season and Afternoon Squalls in Florida
Summer is the rainy summer season and precipitation often comes in the form of localized rain showers, with the sun quickly returning afterwards. The main weather hazard is severe thunderstorms. Typically formed over land as the sun’s rays heat the earth, they develop and move out to sea as the day wears on. In summer you can almost set your watch to the afternoon thunderstorm. At times intense, these storms can produce heavy rain, high winds and lightening. Their towering thunderclouds can be seen from miles away and mariners should prepare accordingly.

If you fish well offshore you monitor radio weather reports. Since the storms often form over land and move out to sea, things may be sunny calm 25 miles off, but as you get back to the inlet all hell may have broken loose. We’ve learned over the years to always monitor what’s happening back on the coast.

Beware too that severe lightening often accompanies these storms. If you have outriggers, you may want to lower or bring them in altogether. Common sense dictates you avoid holding metal objects. If you do get caught in a thunderstorm, just remind yourself that they are typically short-lived and seldom produce truly large seas. So stow any loose items, batten down the hatches, point your bow into the waves and prepare to get drenched.

The National Weather Service / NOAA issues special marine advisories when particularly severe thunderstorms are expected.

waterspout

A waterspout - sooner or later you're gonna meet up with one.

Waterspouts in South Florida
At the risk of angering meteorologists, we’re going to describe waterspouts as mini-tornados over water. They are not that rare in South Florida and if you’re a boater, sooner or later you will see one. On one trip to Bimini we counted four within 10 miles of the Florida coastline! There are probably more waterspouts in this area than anywhere else in the world except for the Florida Keys, which by some estimates have 500 or more waterspouts per year.

The National Weather Service / NOAA issues special marine advisories when they have been observed or when conditions are favorable for their formation.

The good news is they are normally less intense than their land based brethren and more than a few boats have survived being hit by them over the years - not that we recommend you put yourself in the path of one.

You are most likely to see waterspouts during the months of May to October. They tend to occur on hot and humid days when the air feels so thick you can cut it with a knife. They are short-lived, most lasting less than 20 minutes. For every one that fully forms and reaches down to the water, a few more become partially formed but never make it past the stage of a small funnel starting to reach down from the clouds. On these days you learn to scan the clouds looking for the telltale funnel forming.

If you see a waterspout, don’t panic. Your tactics should be the same as for a severe thunderstorm. First gauge the speed and direction of the waterspout. Then steer a safe course away from the disturbance.

Waterspouts are slow moving and most powerboats have little trouble avoiding them. If for whatever reason you cannot avoid one, do as for a thunderstorm. Remove or lower sails, antennas, outriggers etc. Put on life jackets, batten down the hatches and hang on.

Fog - Not Too Common in South Florida
Thankfully this is not of major concern to mariners in these waters. What little fog we do get is in the morning and usually burns off fairly quickly. The New England pea-soup fog is especially rare.

Hurricanes

Do we need to state the obvious? Don't go boating in a hurricane! For detailed hurricane info, please visit our page on hurricanes.


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