733  
FXUS62 KKEY 150804  
AFDKEY  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL  
404 AM EDT TUE SEP 15 2026  
   
..NEW DISCUSSION, MARINE, AVIATION  
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
- NEAR TO SLIGHTLY-ABOVE NORMAL RAIN CHANCES IN THE SHORT TERM IS  
EXPECTED TO GIVE WAY TO CONSIDERABLY HIGHER RAIN CHANCES LATER  
IN THE WORK WEEK.  
 
- WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO TREND UPWARDS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS,  
LIKELY PEAKING IN THE MODERATE TO FRESH RANGE AROUND MID WEEK.  
 
- HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL RANGE FROM 100-108 DEGREES DAILY, WITH  
LITTLE RELIEF FROM THE MUGGY CONDITIONS OVERNIGHT. KNOW THE  
SIGNS OF HEAT STRESS, TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS, AND STAY HYDRATED.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
ISSUED AT 400 AM EDT TUE SEP 15 2026  
 
A WEAK SPLIT SURFACE RIDGE LINGERS ACROSS FLORIDA THIS MORNING.  
AS A RESULT, SURFACE WINDS ARE LIGHT OUT OF THE EAST TO SOUTHEAST.  
LAST EVENINGS SOUNDING INDICATED DEEP LAYERED MOISTURE REMAINS  
QUITE HIGH WITH 2.19 INCHES OF PRECIPITABLE WATER. THIS WAS  
SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE 90TH PERCENTILE FOR THE DATE. WHILE THERE WAS  
AMPLE CAPE, WEAK INHIBITION AND WEAK FORCING HAS KEPT ACTIVITY  
ISOLATED ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH MUCH OF THE NIGHT. MORE RECENTLY,  
SCATTERED SHOWERS HAVE BEGUN PERCOLATING ACROSS OUR ZONES. ON THE  
LARGER SCALE, A STRONG MID AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGE IS CURRENTLY  
BUILDING ACROSS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES WHILE SHARP TROUGHING  
IS DIGGING SOUTHWARD OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST.  
 
OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, A ROBUST CONTINENTAL HIGH WILL  
SPREAD SOUTH AND SOUTHWESTWARD THROUGH THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED  
STATES AND GRADUALLY BOLSTER THE LOCAL PRESSURE GRADIENT. EXPECT  
LIGHT EAST TO SOUTHEASTERLY BREEZES TO FRESHEN MODESTLY LATER  
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OUT OF THE NORTHEAST TO EAST. DEEP  
LAYERED MOISTURE IS EXPECTED TO SLIP SLIGHTLY THROUGH THE DAY WITH  
WEAK LOWER LEVEL INHIBITION HOLDING ON. AS A RESULT, EXPECT NEAR  
NORMAL SHOWER AND THUNDER CHANCES TODAY. ISLAND CLOUD LINES WILL  
ONCE AGAIN BE POSSIBLE. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN TREND LESS WITH  
HIGHS NEAR 90 AND LOWS IN THE LOWER 80S. DEW POINTS WILL HOLD IN  
THE MID 70S.  
 
THE TAIL END OF THE SHARP TROUGH DIGGING OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST  
IS EXPECTED TO PINCH OFF AND INTERACT AND ABSORB A TUTT CELL  
MOVING IN ACROSS HISPANIOLA AND THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS THROUGH THE  
MIDDLE PORTION OF THE WEEK. AS A RESULT, DEEP LAYERED MOISTURE IS  
EXPECTED TO INCREASE ACROSS AND EAST OF OUR AREA AS BROAD LOWER  
LEVEL TROUGHING TAKES SHAPE. THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL LOW AND  
LOWER LEVEL TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO SWEEP WESTWARD INTO OUR AREA  
THROUGH THE BACK HALF OF THE WEEK. IN ADDITION, THE MID AND UPPER  
LOW COMPLEX WILL RESULT IN FALLING HEIGHTS ALOFT. EXPECT SHOWER  
AND THUNDER CHANCES TO TREND SHARPLY UPWARDS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF  
THE WEEK, LIKELY PEAKING IN THE THURSDAY TIME FRAME. BREEZES WILL  
GRADUALLY RELAX AND VEER EAST TO SOUTHEAST AS THE TROUGH PUSHES  
THROUGH.  
 
IT MAY TAKE SOME TIME FOR THE COPIOUS ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE TO  
CLEAR OUT OF OUR AREA. THE TROUGH/LOW COMPLEX SHOULD SLOWLY  
LUMBER WESTWARD INTO THE GULF WHILE BROAD RIDGING SETS UP OFF THE  
ATLANTIC COAST. THIS WILL KEEP A BROAD MOIST CONFLUENT ZONE  
ACROSS OUR AREA FOR QUITE SOME TIME. CONSEQUENTLY, A PROLONGED  
PERIOD OF ABOVE NORMAL RAIN CHANCES ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH LATE WEEK  
AND WEEKEND. WITH ALL THAT SAID, THE EVOLUTION OF THESE FEATURES  
ARE HIGHLY UNCERTAIN AS IS OFTEN THE CASE WITH COMPLEX UPPER LEVEL  
INTERACTIONS. THAT SAID, UNCERTAINTY IS HIGH AND MODEL TO MODEL  
AND RUN TO RUN DISAGREEMENT IS HIGH.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
ISSUED AT 400 AM EDT TUE SEP 15 2026  
 
WEAK AND SPLINTERED HIGH ACROSS FLORIDA WILL BE STEADILY  
REINFORCED AND ULTIMATELY ABSORBED BY A STRONG CONTINENTAL HIGH  
SPREADING SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. LIGHT TO  
GENTLE EASTERLY BREEZES WILL BEGIN FRESHENING LATER THIS AFTERNOON  
AND EVENING OUT OF THE NORTHEAST TO EAST, BECOMING A MODERATE  
BREEZE. WINDS ARE LIKELY TO PEAK THIS EVENING AND TOMORROW  
EVENING. BROAD TROUGHING SET TO TAKE SHAPE OVER THE CENTRAL  
BAHAMAS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WILL THEN MIGRATE WESTWARD  
ACROSS THE KEYS REGION THROUGH THE BACK HALF OF THE WEEK. BREEZES  
WILL SLACKEN AND STEADILY VEER EAST TO SOUTHEAST. ALONG WITH THIS  
TROUGH, EXPECT INCREASING MOISTURE AND SHOWER AND THUNDER CHANCES  
TO INCREASE SHARPLY AFTER MID WEEK AND FALL BACK TOWARDS NORMAL  
HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
AVIATION  
 
(00Z TAFS)  
ISSUED AT 400 AM EDT TUE SEP 15 2026  
 
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT THE ISLAND TERMINALS TODAY. SHOWER  
AND THUNDER CHANCES WILL BE NEAR NORMAL. SURFACE WINDS WILL BE  
LIGHT TO GENTLE OUT OF THE EAST. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN  
STRENGTHENING MODESTLY OUT OF THE NORTHEAST TO EAST THIS AFTERNOON  
AND EVENING.  
 
 
   
KEY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
FL...NONE.  
GM...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
PUBLIC/MARINE/FIRE...11  
AVIATION/NOWCASTS....11  
DATA ACQUISITION.....MJV  
 
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT WEATHER.GOV/KEY  
 
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