Marine Tropical Storm — Straits of Florida From West End of Seven Mile Bridge To South of Halfmoon Shoal Out 20 Nm, Gulf of Mexico

2021-07-04 to 2021-07-05 · Straits of Florida From West End of Seven Mile Bridge To South of Halfmoon Shoal Out 20 Nm, Gulf of Mexico

Event narrative

Per a U.S. Coast Guard media release, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended search for 9 souls missing at sea approximately 23 nautical miles southeast of Key West. A vessel with 22 souls on board departed Cuba and capsized approximately 1900 EST July 4th. A good samaritan motor vessel and U.S. Coast Guard assets were able to rescue 13 survivors in the water. Date of fatalities were assigned to the suspension of the search upon official presumption of lives lost at sea.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Elsa moved north-northwest from western Cuba, through the western Straits of Florida, and passed between the Marquesas Keys and Dry Tortugas into the southeast Gulf of Mexico. Numerous rain bands moved northwest and north through the Lower and Middle Florida Keys coastal waters, with strong tropical-storm-force wind gusts measured near Key West from the evening of July 5th through the afternoon of July 6th. Maximum winds over the Florida Keys coastal waters included sustained winds of 48 knots with gusts to 58 knots at Smith Shoal Light northwest of Key West, and sustained 45 knots with gusts to 55 knots at Sand Key Light southwest of Key West. 9 lives were presumed lost at sea after the U.S. Coast Guard and a good samaritan mariner suspended search after rescuing 13 people from a capsized vessel in the Straits of Florida approximately 26 miles southeast of Key West.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 976304. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.