Miami: a departure-source desk, not a generic city forecast.
Forecast sectors and coverage
Use the NWS Miami marine map to distinguish bay and Atlantic-facing waters; a Keys continuation may need Key West products. An ocean/Straits leg adds the relevant NHC or offshore product.
Weather-sensitive legs
Assess Biscayne Bay exit, exposed sea and current context separately. Virginia Key station 8723214 gives a local level reference; it does not confirm Gulf Stream wind/waves or supply a tide correction for every entrance.
Observations, sea state and reassessment
Confirm the exact berth/entrance and an observation representative of the exposed leg, if available. Inspect timestamp, sensor status and forecast issue separately. Missing observations or local approach/current information remain explicit gaps; this page does not certify depth, navigability or port permission.
Worked planning scenario — not a live forecast
Compare two departure times at the harbour exit, first exposed leg and arrival ETA. Record the next official check and a verified alternative before the point of commitment. If the later option is better only at the berth, it has not yet improved the passage as a whole.
Official products by task
- NWS Miami marine — South Florida marine entry point; check the zone map rather than applying Miami to the entire Keys.
- NOAA Virginia Key station 8723214 — Local water-level reference, not wind/waves for all Biscayne Bay or Gulf Stream waters.
- NOAA NDBC observations — Station map and timestamped buoy/coastal records; inspect sensor availability and exposure.
- NHC marine products — Tropical Atlantic marine coverage; select the current product and its geographical limits.
- NHC tropical cyclone information — Advisories, watches/warnings and outlooks; a track cone is not the full wind or wave footprint.
Sector names help you locate the issuing product; they are not an automatic route-coverage match. Open the current issue and check boundaries, issue time and validity. This page does not display current warnings; an unavailable product does not mean no hazard.
Waters and sailing options
- Florida Atlantic coast and Keys
Miami, Florida Keys and the Straits are different forecast tasks, even on one itinerary.
- US East Coast
Select coastal, offshore and high-seas products for the waters actually crossed.
Countries & territories
- United States
Choose a bay, coastal, offshore, Great Lakes or ocean product for the actual track.
Map orientation
The approximate map centre is not an approach waypoint, track, depth survey or forecast-zone boundary. The third-party map loads only on request.
Build your passage brief
Bring your route, leg timings, vessel and crew profile, checked sources and reassessment triggers into the brief. Personal AI analysis and expert review are available to invited closed-test participants; a port page does not extend the calculation service’s coverage.
A Sailing Weather editorial guide to local conditions, practical passage preparation and marine-weather sources. Source and structure review: 27 September 2026. For a specific passage, check current issues, validity and forecast coverage. The skipper retains the final decision and responsibility.
Units and time labels can change between Miami tools
The NWS Miami marine page labels some wind graphics in miles per hour and wave/swell graphics in feet. Before combining them with a knots/metres model report, preserve the original unit and perform an explicit conversion; do not silently compare the raw numbers. Virginia Key station 8723214 is a separate local level reference, with its own timestamp and datum, not an observation of Gulf Stream sea state.
- NWS Miami marine products — South Florida marine graphics, local hazards and discussion; some graphics use MPH and feet.
- NOAA Virginia Key station 8723214 — Local water-level reference, not Gulf Stream wind/wave observations.
A bay day, Keys leg and Bahamas crossing need different handovers
At route selection, compare these as different products, not a single Miami forecast with different destination names. A Bahamas crossing adds current-crossing context and Bahamas local arrival evidence; a Keys continuation needs the appropriate Key West coverage. Before releasing the boat from the berth, check the current short-term marine hazards for the first exposed portion and the update channel for the next stage. Local port/approach information remains independent.
- NWS Miami marine products
- Bahamas Department of Meteorology — Official national entry point, radar and forecast links; no pass-specific current guarantee.
- NWS Key West marine desk — Keys warnings, marine messages, forecast discussion and ocean context.
Editorial review of this material: 27 September 2026. This date concerns the page content; check current forecast issue times and validity at the original sources.