Small Craft Advisory Issued for Tampa Bay Area

The National Weather Service in Ruskin is asking boaters to exercise caution on Bay area waters as a storm system moves into the area.

To that end, the agency has issued a small craft advisory that starts at 1 a.m. Thursday and expires around 4 p.m. The advisory impacts the entire coastal Bay area, including Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Boaters can anticipate wind speeds of up to 33 knots and seas of 7 feet or higher, the advisory states.

These winds are “expected to produce hazardous conditions for small craft,” the weather service warned. “Inexperienced boaters, especially those operating smaller vessels should avoid navigating in these conditions.”

See Also:

• Watch: Boater Rescued from Rough Tampa Bay Waters

Storms are anticipated to move into the Tampa Bay area Wednesday night and aren’t expected to fully clear out until sometime Thursday afternoon. Forecasters are expecting some thunderstorms along with rain showers.

Wednesday’s overnight low is expected to only reach the upper 40s while Thursday’s high isn’t expected to break the 70-degree mark.

For a complete look at Bay area weather, visit the National Weather Service online.

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