This Week's Water Conditions Update

Nov. 21, 2025

Water Conditions Tracker

Lake Okeechobee Levels & Caloosahatchee Flow Impacts

On 11/19/25 Lake Okeechobee was at 13.78 feet, decreasing by 0.10 feet in the past week. The weekly average flow at S-79 was 528 cfs (cubic feet per second) while flow from the Lake at S-77 was an average of 494 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-77 was 456 cfs. The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 429 cfs and has been below the optimum flow envelope (<750 cfs; RECOVER 2020) for 25 days.

For more information on Lake Okeechobee and estuary conditions go to the latest Caloosahatchee Conditions Report.

Water Surface Temperature

This Week

Daily Average for November 19, 2025


Gulf of Mexico: 70.5°F

Caloosahatchee (Beautiful Island): 77.1°F

Lake Okeechobee: 70.5°F

Last Week

Daily Average for November 12, 2025


Gulf of Mexico: 77.4°F

Caloosahatchee (Beautiful Island): 70.8°F

Lake Okeechobee: 75.6°F


Weekly Rainfall Totals

WP Franklin (S-79): 0.00" Ortona (S-78): 0.00" Julian Keen Jr. (S-77): 0.00"

Virtual Water Quality Tour from Lighthouse Beach Park

Click here or on the image above to take a virtual tour from above Lighthouse Beach Park to see how the water looked this week. Photo was taken on 11/18/25 at 12:46 PM on a slack tide (1.9 ft). The 14-day average flow at S-79 was 412 cfs.

Red Tide

On 11/14/25, the FWC reported that the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was observed in 14 samples collected from Northwest Florida. In Southwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was not observed. In Northwest Florida over the past week, K. brevis was observed at background to low concentrations in Bay County, very low concentrations in Gulf County, and background and very low concentrations in Franklin County. Along the Florida East Coast over the past week, K. brevis was not observed.


Wildlife Impacts

In the past week, the CROW wildlife hospital on Sanibel admitted 1 patient for suspected red tide/toxicosis: 1 adult white ibis (deceased).

Blue-Green Algae

On 11/18/25, sampling for cyanobacteria by the Lee County Environmental Lab reported no visible cyanobacteria across all sites.

On 11/20/25 satellite imagery of Lake Okeechobee showed the presence of an algal bloom covering about 120 square miles, or 26% of the lake. The previous measurement of the bloom from 11/19/25 covered about 180 square miles, or 39% of the lake.

Become a Citizen Scientist and Get the Algae Reporting App Today!

SCCF wants to know when and where all types of algae sightings occur to monitor conditions around the islands and to investigate algae bloom occurrence with patterns in seasonal weather changes and Lake Okeechobee water management practices.


Click on and bookmark this link to report an algal bloom sighting.

Resources To Follow:

To learn more about our current water conditions, click on the following links:


Water Quality Dashboard


Water Quality FAQ

Find answers to some of our most commonly asked questions regarding water quality and more.


Water Conditions Update Archive


Caloosahatchee Conditions Report

A collaborative, weekly analysis, including recommendations for water managers regarding Lake Okeechobee flows.


RECON

SCCF's River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network is a network of eight optical water quality sensors deployed throughout the Caloosahatchee and the Pine Island Sound estuary to provide real-time water quality data.


Caloosahatchee River Virtual Tour



Red Tide Resources


NOAA HAB Monitoring System - Lake Okeechobee

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