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

556
FZUS52 KTAE 170712
SRFTAE

Surf Zone Forecast
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
312 AM EDT Sat Oct 17 2026

.THE SURF ZONE FORECAST GENERAL OUTLOOK...

A strong cold front has begun its passage over our waters today,
increasing sustained winds to 25 mph with higher gusts from the
northwest and north. As a result, surf and seas will sharply rise
and a high risk for rip currents and rough surf is expected through
the day today and through the weekend.

FLZ108-172015-
South Walton-
Including the beaches of Sandestin, Santa Rosa Beach,
and Turquoise Beach
212 AM CDT Sat Oct 17 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

.TODAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 3 feet.
UV Index**..................High.
Water Temperature...........81 degrees.
Weather.....................Sunny.
High Temperature............In the lower 70s.
Winds.......................Windy. North winds 25 to 30 mph.
Tides...
Panama City..............Low at 01:40 PM CDT.
Sunrise.....................7:48 AM.
Sunset......................7:12 PM.

.SUNDAY...
Rip Current Risk............Moderate.
Surf Height.................Around 1 foot.
Weather.....................Sunny.
High Temperature............Around 70.
Winds.......................Breezy. Northeast winds 20 to 25 mph.
Tides...
Panama City..............Low at 02:27 PM CDT.
Sunrise.....................7:49 AM.
Sunset......................7:11 PM.

.MONDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Surf height around 1 foot.
Sunny. Highs in the lower 70s. Northeast winds around 20 mph.
.TUESDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.
Northeast winds around 15 mph.
.WEDNESDAY...Low rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.
Northeast winds around 10 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

$$

FLZ112-172015-
Coastal Bay-
Including the beaches of Panama City Beach and Magnolia Beach
212 AM CDT Sat Oct 17 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

.TODAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 3 feet.
UV Index**..................High.
Water Temperature...........82 degrees.
Weather.....................Mostly sunny.
High Temperature............In the lower 70s.
Winds.......................Windy. North winds around 30 mph.
Tides...
Panama City..............Low at 01:40 PM CDT.
Sunrise.....................7:46 AM.
Sunset......................7:11 PM.

.SUNDAY...
Rip Current Risk............Moderate.
Surf Height.................Around 1 foot.
Weather.....................Sunny.
High Temperature............Around 70.
Winds.......................Windy. Northeast winds 25 to 30 mph.
Tides...
Panama City..............Low at 02:27 PM CDT.
Sunrise.....................7:46 AM.
Sunset......................7:09 PM.

.MONDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Surf height around 1 foot.
Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s. Northeast winds around 20 mph.
.TUESDAY...Low rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.
Northeast winds around 15 mph.
.WEDNESDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs in the upper
70s. 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

$$

FLZ114-172015-
Coastal Gulf-
Including the beaches of Saint Joe Beach
312 AM EDT Sat Oct 17 2026 /212 AM CDT Sat Oct 17 2026/

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

.TODAY...
Rip Current Risk...
W Facing Beaches.........High.
S Facing Beaches.........High.
State Park Beaches.......High.
Surf Height...
W Facing Beaches.........Around 3 feet.
S Facing Beaches.........Around 2 feet.
State Park Beaches.......Around 3 feet.
UV Index**..................Low.
Water Temperature...........81 degrees.
Weather.....................Partly sunny until 10 AM, then sunny.
High Temperature............In the lower 70s.
Winds.......................Windy. North winds around 30 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............High at 06:39 AM EDT.
Low at 03:46 PM EDT.
Sunrise.....................7:44 AM.
Sunset......................7:09 PM.

.SUNDAY...
Rip Current Risk...
W Facing Beaches.........Moderate.
S Facing Beaches.........Moderate.
State Park Beaches.......Moderate.
Surf Height...
W Facing Beaches.........Around 2 feet.
S Facing Beaches.........Around 1 foot.
State Park Beaches.......Around 1 foot.
Weather.....................Sunny.
High Temperature............In the lower 70s.
Winds.......................Windy. Northeast winds 25 to 30 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............High at 07:27 AM EDT.
Low at 05:00 PM EDT.
Sunrise.....................7:44 AM.
Sunset......................7:08 PM.

.MONDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Surf height around 1 foot.
Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s. Breezy. Northeast winds around 25 mph.
.TUESDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.
Northeast winds around 15 mph.
.WEDNESDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs in the upper
70s. 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

$$

FLZ115-172015-
Coastal Franklin-
Including the beaches of Apalachicola
312 AM EDT Sat Oct 17 2026

.TODAY...
Rip Current Risk............Moderate.
Surf Height.................Around 1 foot.
UV Index**..................Low.
Water Temperature...........80 degrees.
Weather.....................Mostly cloudy until 9 AM, then sunny.
High Temperature............In the lower 70s.
Winds.......................Breezy. North winds around 25 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............High at 06:39 AM EDT.
Low at 03:46 PM EDT.
Sunrise.....................7:42 AM.
Sunset......................7:08 PM.

.SUNDAY...
Rip Current Risk............High.
Surf Height.................Around 3 feet.
Weather.....................Sunny.
High Temperature............In the lower 70s.
Winds.......................Windy. Northeast winds 25 to 30 mph.
Tides...
Apalachicola.............High at 07:27 AM EDT.
Low at 05:00 PM EDT.
Sunrise.....................7:43 AM.
Sunset......................7:07 PM.

.MONDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Surf height around 2 feet.
Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s. Northeast winds around 20 mph.
.TUESDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.
Northeast winds around 15 mph.
.WEDNESDAY...Moderate rip current risk*. Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s.
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


$$

510
SOUS42 KTAE 162351
TIDTAE

Tide information for Saturday October 17 2026.

Saint Marks River Entrance.
High 05:17 AM ... Low 01:42 PM ... High 08:28 PM.

Apalachicola.
Low 01:46 AM ... High 06:39 AM ... Low 03:46 PM ... High 11:59 PM.

Saint Andrews Bay at Panama City.
High 01:25 AM ... Low 01:40 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 78.8 degrees.
Sunrise and sunset in Tallahassee.
October 17 2026: Sunrise 741 AM EDT Sunset 704 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