Click the map below for a detailed, zone based Coastal Waters Forecast

For the recently added St Andrews Bay Zone Forecast, click on the St Andrews Bay in the map above for a Marine Weather Forecast. For more information on recently changed marine zones, and the reasoning, please view this webpage here.

Nearshore Marine Forecasts

• Follow this link for Coastal Waters Forecast options beyond the map above 

Offshore Marine Forecasts

• Follow this link for Offshore Waters Forecast options beyond the map above

Click a point below for a detailed Hourly Weather Graph

If you need a forecast for a point not represented above...

• Navigate to this link and click the map for a detailed forecast in both tabular and graphical formats.

Learn About Rip Current Safety Before Visiting The Beach!

For a graphical forecast, visit weather.gov/beach/tae or see the county based surf zone forecast below:

Detailed Surf Zone Forecast

353
FZUS52 KTAE 021529
SRFTAE

Surf Zone Forecast
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
1129 AM EDT Thu Apr 2 2026

.THE SURF ZONE FORECAST GENERAL OUTLOOK...

Brisk winds over the Gulf will promote a Southeasterly swell with
2-3 ft surf heights at all but the west-facing Gulf County beaches,
leading to a prolonged period of high rip current risk today
through this weekend. The rip risk will maximize each afternoon
and evening as the flow becomes more onshore and peak on Saturday.
Despite the warm and sunny weather, the surf will be dangerous
for all levels of swimmers, especially visitors.

A cold front approaches on Sunday with a chance of showers and
thunderstorms. Looking ahead to Monday, the high rip current risk
may shift to the West-facing Gulf County beaches, but cannot
rule out a high risk at the remainder of the beaches if Southeast
swell persists.

Based on communication with area beach officials, the following flags
are flying at area beaches:

Walton........................Red
Bay...........................Yellow
State Park Gulf Beaches.......Yellow
West Facing Gulf Beaches......Yellow
South Facing Gulf Beaches.....Red
Franklin......................Red

FLZ108-030330-
South Walton-
Including the beaches of Sandestin, Santa Rosa Beach,
and Turquoise Beach
1029 AM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT...

.REST OF TODAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 3 feet.
UV Index**..................Very High.
Water Temperature...........72 degrees.
Weather.....................Sunny.
High Temperature............In the mid 70s.
Winds.......................Southeast winds around 15 mph.
Tides...
None.
Sunrise.....................7:32 AM.
Sunset......................8:04 PM.

.FRIDAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 3 feet.
Weather.....................Mostly sunny until 11 AM, then partly
sunny.
High Temperature............In the mid 70s.
Winds.......................Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tides...
Panama City..............High at 10:30 AM CDT.
Sunrise.....................7:31 AM.
Sunset......................8:05 PM.

.SATURDAY...High rip current risk*. Surf height around 3 feet. Mostly
sunny. Highs in the lower 70s. Southeast winds around 15 mph.
.SUNDAY...High rip current risk*. Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers
and a slight chance of thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 70s. South
winds around 5 mph.
.MONDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Cloudy. A slight chance of
showers. Highs in the mid 60s. North winds around 15 mph.

&&

Rip Current Risk Category
* Low Risk - The risk for rip currents is low, however,
life-threatening rip currents often occur in the vicinity of groins,
jetties, reefs, and piers.
* Moderate Risk - Life-threatening rip currents are possible in the
surf zone.
* High Risk - Life-threatening rip currents are likely in the surf
zone.

** For lightning, waterspout, and UV definitions see:
https://www.weather.gov/beach/tae

$$

FLZ112-030330-
Coastal Bay-
Including the beaches of Panama City Beach and Magnolia Beach
1029 AM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT...

.REST OF TODAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 3 feet.
UV Index**..................Very High.
Water Temperature...........71 degrees.
Weather.....................Sunny.
High Temperature............In the upper 70s.
Winds.......................Southeast winds around 15 mph.
Tides...
None.
Sunrise.....................7:30 AM.
Sunset......................8:02 PM.

.FRIDAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 3 feet.
Weather.....................Mostly sunny until 11 AM, then partly
sunny.
High Temperature............In the mid 70s.
Winds.......................Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tides...
Panama City..............High at 10:30 AM CDT.
Sunrise.....................7:29 AM.
Sunset......................8:03 PM.

.SATURDAY...High rip current risk*. Surf height around 3 feet. Sunny.
Highs in the lower 70s. Southeast winds around 15 mph.
.SUNDAY...High rip current risk*. Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers.
Highs in the lower 70s. South winds around 5 mph.
.MONDAY...High rip current risk*. Mostly cloudy. A slight chance of
showers. Highs in the upper 60s. North winds around 20 mph.

&&

Rip Current Risk Category
* Low Risk - The risk for rip currents is low, however,
life-threatening rip currents often occur in the vicinity of groins,
jetties, reefs, and piers.
* Moderate Risk - Life-threatening rip currents are possible in the
surf zone.
* High Risk - Life-threatening rip currents are likely in the surf
zone.

** For lightning, waterspout, and UV definitions see:
https://www.weather.gov/beach/tae

$$

FLZ114-030330-
Coastal Gulf-
Including the beaches of Saint Joe Beach
1129 AM EDT Thu Apr 2 2026 /1029 AM CDT Thu Apr 2 2026/

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT...

.REST OF TODAY...
Rip Current Risk...
W Facing Beaches.........Moderate.
S Facing Beaches.........High.
State Park Beaches.......Moderate.
Surf Height...
W Facing Beaches.........Around 1 foot.
S Facing Beaches.........Around 2 feet.
State Park Beaches.......Around 1 foot.
UV Index**..................Very High.
Water Temperature...........72 degrees.
Weather.....................Sunny.
High Temperature............In the upper 70s.
Winds.......................Southeast winds around 15 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............Low at 11:06 AM EDT.
High at 04:20 PM EDT.
Sunrise.....................7:29 AM.
Sunset......................8:00 PM.

.FRIDAY...
Rip Current Risk...
W Facing Beaches.........Moderate.
S Facing Beaches.........High.
State Park Beaches.......Moderate.
Surf Height...
W Facing Beaches.........Around 1 foot.
S Facing Beaches.........Around 2 feet.
State Park Beaches.......Around 2 feet.
Weather.....................Mostly sunny.
High Temperature............In the mid 70s.
Winds.......................Southeast winds around 15 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............High at 06:20 AM EDT.
Low at 11:23 AM EDT.
High at 04:35 PM EDT.
Sunrise.....................7:28 AM.
Sunset......................8:01 PM.

.SATURDAY...High rip current risk*. Surf height around 3 feet. Sunny.
Highs in the lower 70s. Southeast winds around 15 mph.
.SUNDAY...High rip current risk*. Partly sunny. A slight chance of
showers. Highs in the mid 70s. South winds around 5 mph.
.MONDAY...High rip current risk*. Cloudy. A chance of showers. Highs
around 70. North winds around 20 mph.

&&

Rip Current Risk Category
* Low Risk - The risk for rip currents is low, however,
life-threatening rip currents often occur in the vicinity of groins,
jetties, reefs, and piers.
* Moderate Risk - Life-threatening rip currents are possible in the
surf zone.
* High Risk - Life-threatening rip currents are likely in the surf
zone.

** For lightning, waterspout, and UV definitions see:
https://www.weather.gov/beach/tae

$$

FLZ115-030330-
Coastal Franklin-
Including the beaches of Apalachicola
1129 AM EDT Thu Apr 2 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT...

.REST OF TODAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 1 foot.
UV Index**..................Very High.
Water Temperature...........73 degrees.
Weather.....................Sunny.
High Temperature............In the mid 70s.
Winds.......................Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............Low at 11:06 AM EDT.
High at 04:20 PM EDT.
Sunrise.....................7:27 AM.
Sunset......................7:58 PM.

.FRIDAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 2 feet.
Weather.....................Mostly sunny.
High Temperature............In the mid 70s.
Winds.......................Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............High at 06:20 AM EDT.
Low at 11:23 AM EDT.
High at 04:35 PM EDT.
Sunrise.....................7:26 AM.
Sunset......................7:59 PM.

.SATURDAY...High rip current risk*. Surf height around 3 feet. Sunny.
Highs in the lower 70s. Southeast winds around 10 mph.
.SUNDAY...High rip current risk*. Mostly sunny. A slight chance of
showers. Highs in the mid 70s. South winds around 5 mph.
.MONDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Cloudy. A chance of showers.
Highs around 70. North winds around 15 mph.

&&

Rip Current Risk Category
* Low Risk - The risk for rip currents is low, however,
life-threatening rip currents often occur in the vicinity of groins,
jetties, reefs, and piers.
* Moderate Risk - Life-threatening rip currents are possible in the
surf zone.
* High Risk - Life-threatening rip currents are likely in the surf
zone.

** For lightning, waterspout, and UV definitions see:
https://www.weather.gov/beach/tae


$$

816
SOUS42 KTAE 030050
TIDTAE

Tide information for Friday April 03 2026.

Saint Marks River Entrance.
High 03:49 AM ... Low 09:20 AM ... High 03:22 PM ... Low 10:10 PM.

Apalachicola.
High 06:20 AM ... Low 11:23 AM ... High 04:35 PM.

Saint Andrews Bay at Panama City.
High 10:30 AM ... Low 08:25 PM.

Note that the times of high and low tide are 3 minutes earlier at
Shell Point than at the Saint Marks River Entrance.

The average water temperature at Apalachicola was 73.4 degrees.
Sunrise and sunset in Tallahassee.
April 3 2026: Sunrise 724 AM EDT Sunset 758 PM EDT

More Information on Tides and SST's

• NOAA Tides Website (zoom in to the area of interest for a point)

Are you interested in receiving occasional marine-related news from NWS-Tallahassee or becoming a Weather Ready Nation (WRN) Marine Ambassador?

Fill out the NWS-Tallahassee Marine Contact Form (linked)!

For questions, please contact: Lance.Franck@noaa.gov

Weather Slides for Presentation Above

Navigation Slides for Presentation Above

Other information

• Marine Modeling and Analysis Branch
• Rip Current Safety Info
• Beaufort Scale (descriptions; color photos)
• Boating Safety
• U.S. Coast Guard
• National Geodetic Survery
• Port Meteorological Officers' Volunteer Observing Ship (VOS) Program
• NWS Marine Weather Services
• Frequently Asked Questions