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

848
FZUS52 KTAE 160729
SRFTAE

Surf Zone Forecast
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
229 AM EST Fri Jan 16 2026

.THE SURF ZONE FORECAST GENERAL OUTLOOK...

A turn to south winds is expected by late morning, with southerlies
increasing the most over the Panhandle waters. This will start to
increase surf heights, and a high risk of rip currents is expected to
develop for Bay and Gulf County beaches by midday. The high risk will
stick around into Saturday morning, before a turn to northerly
offshore winds starts to lower the risk late Saturday.

FLZ108-162115-
South Walton-
Including the beaches of Sandestin, Santa Rosa Beach,
and Turquoise Beach
129 AM CST Fri Jan 16 2026

.TODAY...
Rip Current Risk............Moderate.
Surf Height.................Around 2 feet.
UV Index**..................Moderate.
Water Temperature...........59 degrees.
Weather.....................Mostly sunny.
High Temperature............In the mid 60s.
Winds.......................South winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tides...
Panama City..............Low at 06:27 AM CST.
Sunrise.....................6:42 AM.
Sunset......................5:06 PM.

.SATURDAY...
Rip Current Risk............Moderate.
Surf Height.................Around 2 feet.
Weather.....................Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers.
High Temperature............In the lower 60s.
Winds.......................North winds around 15 mph.
Tides...
Panama City..............Low at 07:04 AM CST.
Sunrise.....................6:42 AM.
Sunset......................5:07 PM.

.SUNDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Surf height around 1 foot.
Mostly sunny. A chance of rain. Cooler. Highs in the upper 40s. North
winds around 15 mph.
.MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs
in the mid 50s. Northwest winds around 10 mph.
.TUESDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Mostly sunny. Highs in the
lower 50s. Northeast 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

$$

FLZ112-162115-
Coastal Bay-
Including the beaches of Panama City Beach and Magnolia Beach
129 AM CST Fri Jan 16 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM CST THIS MORNING THROUGH
SATURDAY AFTERNOON...

.TODAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 2 feet.
UV Index**..................Moderate.
Water Temperature...........58 degrees.
Weather.....................Mostly sunny.
High Temperature............In the lower 60s.
Winds.......................Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tides...
Panama City..............Low at 06:27 AM CST.
Sunrise.....................6:39 AM.
Sunset......................5:05 PM.

.SATURDAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 3 feet.
Weather.....................Partly sunny until 5 PM, then cloudy.
Showers likely.
High Temperature............In the mid 60s.
Winds.......................West winds around 15 mph, becoming
northeast in the afternoon.
Tides...
Panama City..............Low at 07:04 AM CST.
Sunrise.....................6:39 AM.
Sunset......................5:05 PM.

.SUNDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Surf height around 2 feet.
Mostly sunny. A chance of rain. Cooler. Highs in the upper 40s. North
winds around 20 mph.
.MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs
in the mid 50s. North winds around 10 mph.
.TUESDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Mostly sunny. Highs in the
lower 50s. Northeast 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

$$

FLZ114-162115-
Coastal Gulf-
Including the beaches of Saint Joe Beach
229 AM EST Fri Jan 16 2026 /129 AM CST Fri Jan 16 2026/

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM EST /9 AM CST/ THIS
MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...

.TODAY...
Rip Current Risk...
W Facing Beaches.........Moderate.
S Facing Beaches.........Moderate.
State Park Beaches.......High.
Surf Height...
W Facing Beaches.........Around 2 feet.
S Facing Beaches.........Around 1 foot.
State Park Beaches.......Around 2 feet.
UV Index**..................Moderate.
Water Temperature...........58 degrees.
Weather.....................Sunny.
High Temperature............In the lower 60s.
Winds.......................Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............Low at 09:15 AM EST.
High at 05:15 PM EST.
Sunrise.....................7:37 AM.
Sunset......................6:04 PM.

.SATURDAY...
Rip Current Risk...
W Facing Beaches.........High.
S Facing Beaches.........Moderate.
State Park Beaches.......High.
Surf Height...
W Facing Beaches.........Around 3 feet.
S Facing Beaches.........Around 2 feet.
State Park Beaches.......Around 3 feet.
Weather.....................Mostly cloudy. Showers likely.
High Temperature............In the mid 60s.
Winds.......................South winds around 15 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............Low at 09:55 AM EST.
High at 05:36 PM EST.
Sunrise.....................7:37 AM.
Sunset......................6:05 PM.

.SUNDAY...High rip current risk*. Surf height around 4 feet. Mostly
sunny. Rain likely. Cooler. Highs in the upper 40s. Breezy. North
winds around 25 mph.
.MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs
in the mid 50s. North winds around 10 mph.
.TUESDAY...High rip current risk*. Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid
50s. Northeast 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

$$

FLZ115-162115-
Coastal Franklin-
Including the beaches of Apalachicola
229 AM EST Fri Jan 16 2026

.TODAY...
Rip Current Risk............Moderate.
Surf Height.................Around 2 feet.
UV Index**..................Moderate.
Water Temperature...........58 degrees.
Weather.....................Sunny.
High Temperature............In the lower 60s.
Winds.......................Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............Low at 09:15 AM EST.
High at 05:15 PM EST.
Sunrise.....................7:35 AM.
Sunset......................6:02 PM.

.SATURDAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 2 feet.
Weather.....................Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers.
High Temperature............In the mid 60s.
Winds.......................South winds 10 to 15 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............Low at 09:55 AM EST.
High at 05:36 PM EST.
Sunrise.....................7:35 AM.
Sunset......................6:03 PM.

.SUNDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Surf height around 2 feet.
Partly sunny. Rain likely. Cooler. Highs in the upper 40s. North
winds around 20 mph.
.MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DAY...Low rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs in
the mid 50s. North winds around 10 mph.
.TUESDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Mostly sunny. Highs in the
lower 50s. Northeast 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


$$

003
SOUS42 KTAE 160052
TIDTAE

Tide information for Friday January 16 2026.

Saint Marks River Entrance.
Low 07:08 AM ... High 02:22 PM ... Low 06:50 PM.

Apalachicola.
Low 08:34 AM ... High 05:01 PM ... Low 07:44 PM ... High 11:33 PM

Saint Andrews Bay at Panama City.
Low 05:48 AM ... Low 07:04 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 57.2 degrees.
Sunrise and sunset in Tallahassee.
January 16 2026: Sunrise 735 AM EST ... Sunset 600 PM EST ...

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