Weather
Gulf of Mexico Weather: 30-Foot Seas Possible Friday
Gulf of Mexico – Hurricane conditions are expected over portions of the central Gulf of Mexico Thursday night, with winds reaching 85 knots and seas building as high as 29 feet.
By Natalie Rhodes · 2026-10-07T20:56:47.732Z
Gulf of Mexico – Hurricane conditions are expected over portions of the central Gulf of Mexico Thursday night, with winds reaching 85 knots and seas building as high as 29 feet.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami has issued a Hurricane Warning for offshore waters from 22N to 26N between 87W and 91W. Its Offshore Waters Forecast for the Gulf of America, issued at 11:06 a.m. EDT Wednesday, calls for rapidly deteriorating marine conditions beginning Wednesday night.
Tropical storm conditions are expected Wednesday night, with southeast winds increasing to 35 to 40 knots late south of 24N. North of 24N, winds are forecast to increase to 25 to 30 knots late. Numerous squalls and thunderstorms are expected.
Conditions are forecast to worsen Thursday. South of 24N, southerly winds are expected at 55 to 70 knots. North of 24N, easterly winds of 35 to 40 knots are forecast to increase to 60 to 70 knots during the afternoon. Seas could build to 14 to 22 feet.
Hurricane conditions are expected Thursday night north of 24N. Easterly winds of 70 to 80 knots are forecast to become westerly at 65 to 85 knots late. Seas are expected to reach 19 to 29 feet.
Tropical storm conditions remain possible Friday. North of 24N, westerly winds could reach 45 to 50 knots before easing during the afternoon. Seas are forecast at 20 to 30 feet in northwest to north swell.
Conditions should gradually improve into the weekend, though seas are forecast to remain 6 to 8 feet Saturday before subsiding to 4 to 6 feet Sunday.
Mariners should continue monitoring National Hurricane Center forecasts and the Hurricane Warning as conditions deteriorate through Thursday night.