As if the cold weather weren’t enough, there’s another reason to think twice about heading to the beach: red tide persists in the Tampa Bay area, particularly in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

This week, high concentrations of the toxin were detected near the 10th Street Pier in Bradenton and the Longboat Pass boat ramp. Further south, elevated levels were found at New Pass dock on Sarasota Bay. Lower concentrations have been observed on beaches from Anna Maria to Siesta Key, as well as Venice Beach and Nokomis.

In Pinellas County, smaller amounts of red tide were detected at Madeira Beach, Bay Pines, Pass-a-Grille, and Fort DeSoto.

State environmental regulators reported fish kills, likely due to red tide, off the coasts of Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota counties. Respiratory irritation incidents have also been noted in Sarasota County.

The USF-FWC Collaboration for Prediction of Red Tides forecasts that both surface and subsurface waters will primarily move southward over the next 3.5 days, affecting areas from Pinellas County to northern Monroe County.

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(Image credit: Mary Harper/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)