“Any time we get a regular storm event, we have all of this nutrient loading from fertilizer or herbicides or wastewater overflows,” Fanara, an environmental engineer and author of red tide research, told FOX Weather after Hurricane Ian.įlorida’s Gulf Coast suffered a massive red tide bloom after Hurricane Irma in 2017 as well. Stumpf said that red tide blooms occur even without hurricanes, but some of the nutrients washed into the water from the land could have “helped it along a little bit.” This is the same part of Florida devastated by Hurricane Ian in September. ![]() “Hopefully, we will get a couple of those last fronts in February and early March that will finally get it out of here,” Stumpf said. Spring breakers should hope for a few good storms to clear out the harmful algae bloom before vacation. Gulf currents and onshore winds bring it to the beaches. The bloom is basically anchored to the coast. This year, there’s been very little, all through the month of January, very little of that.” The same part of Florida that is suffering a high risk of red tide was also devasted heavily by Hurricane Ian in September. “Those tend to push them south and down and away from the Florida coast and have it go out through the Florida Straits. “Typically, when we get into late December or January, we get the big systems coming down from the north and good strong north winds,” he said. that has the toxin.įlorida just hasn’t seen enough strong winter weather to clear the bloom out, according to Stumpf. The Gulf species is the only red tide in the U.S. That releases a toxin into the air – an aerosol irritant. “This is kind of the last part of a bloom that started up in the fall, and so we’re seeing, what I hope is the tail end of this,” Stumpf said.Ĭhoppy surf, waves, wind and strong currents break up the fragile organisms. If exposed to red tide, you can catch a serious respiratory illness. This season’s bloom is spotty, so not every beach has high levels of the organism. It grows or blooms in the summer, and then fall winds blow the bloom to the coast, Stumpf said. Red tide or Karinia brevis naturally occurs in the Gulf of Mexico. Humans can get sick after eating fish or shellfish from red tide areas, red tide researcher Tracy Fanara previously told FOX Weather. “Mostly because you will come out of it miserable, and you certainly don’t want to swallow the stuff, but in general, it’s the respiratory irritation problem. Where there’s a lot of red tide, I wouldn’t recommend swimming in the water,” Stumpf said. Fox WeatherĪ few other beaches in Sarasota County have a moderate risk. Certain Florida beaches have been exposed by red tide. The scientists track near-shore red tide concentrations along with wind strength and direction to forecast dangerous areas. He and his team put out a warning for several beaches on Sanibel Island in Southwest Florida. Anyone with a respiratory illness could suffer worse. After leaving the beach and sitting in his car with the air conditioner running for a few minutes, the symptoms subside. His nose runs, and his sinuses bother him. Stumpf said that he feels like he has a cold when exposed to red tide. ![]() If you have asthma, it could be worse, significantly worse.” “If you are starting in the parking lot, when you hit the dune crest going over to the beach at a place that has a risk, you’re likely to be coughing at that point,” explained NOAA oceanographer Rick Stumpf. NOAA scientists have warned people to stay away from the water at certain Florida beaches for the next couple of days, saying there is a “high risk” of respiratory irritation from red tide. World's largest freshwater fish caught in Cambodia Harmful red tide emerges along Florida coastline
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