Is it a bad time to go jogging?
Go for it. Right now in Sarasota: feels like 83°F, 2% rain, wind 15 mph. Best window left today: 6p–10p (Good, 75–83°F feels-like).
Best time to run today
6p–10p (Good, 75–83°F feels-like). Method: we score each hour 5 a.m.–10 p.m. with the rules below, then pick the longest run of Good hours (or Meh hours if there are no Good ones); ties go to the cooler run.
| Hour | Temp | Feels | Rain | Thunder | Wind | RH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6p | 82° | 83° | 2% | 0% | 15 mph NE | 55% |
| 7p | 80° | 81° | 1% | 0% | 14 mph NE | 60% |
| 8p | 76° | 76° | 0% | 0% | 12 mph NE | 66% |
| 9p | 75° | 75° | 1% | 0% | 12 mph NNE | 69% |
"Feels" = NWS heat index where NWS gives one, else air temperature.
NWS hourly forecast for Sarasota (grid TBW/71,70), updated 2026-10-27T19:01:35+00:00. Pulled 2026-10-27T22:20:06.088Z (UTC). Partial pull: uv: no UV. Last good copies are used where noted.
Air quality: not included. The official source (EPA AirNow API) requires a registered key, and we don't sign up for things without approval. Check AirNow for Sarasota if you're sensitive to air quality.
UV: EPA hourly UV Index forecast for ZIP 34236 (last good copy).
How the verdict works (this hour)
Rule: each check gets Good, Meh or Bad. The verdict is the worst of them. Heat-index bands follow the NWS heat index chart; every other threshold is ours.
| Check | Input | Thresholds | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| NWS active alerts | None | Severe/Extreme = Bad; any other = Meh | Good |
| Heat index (or temp) this hour | 83°F | 103°F+ = Bad; 90–102°F = Meh | Good |
| Rain chance this hour | 2% | 60%+ = Bad; 30–59% = Meh | Good |
| Thunder chance this hour | 0% | 40%+ = Bad; 20–39% = Meh | Good |
| Wind this hour | 15 mph | 25+ mph = Bad; 18–24 mph = Meh | Good |
| EPA UV Index this hour | 0 | 8+ = Meh (EPA "very high"); no Bad level | Good |
| Red tide (beach / bayfront routes) | cells: Good; respiratory: Good | FWC medium/high nearby OR respiratory irritation (Mote report, or NOAA Moderate/High) = Bad; FWC low/very low or NOAA Low = Meh; FWC not present/background and no irritation = Good. Missing/stale source = no penalty from that source. | Good |
Result: worst = Good.
Next few days
| Day | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Today | Good | best 6p–10p, 75–83°F |
| Tomorrow | Good | best 5a–2p, 71–89°F |
| Thu | Good | best 5a–12p, 73–86°F |
| Fri | Good | best 5a–1p, 71–89°F |
Same rules as above, applied to each day's window.
Red tide note for beach / bayfront routes
Red tide check: Good. Counted in the verdict for beach and bayfront runs (Siesta, Lido, longboat paths). Inland neighborhood loops can ignore it.
Official FWC abundance categories (Karenia brevis cells per liter):
| Category | Cells/L |
|---|---|
| not present/background | 0–1,000 cells/L |
| very low | >1,000–10,000 cells/L |
| low | >10,000–100,000 cells/L |
| medium | >100,000–1,000,000 cells/L |
| high | >1,000,000 cells/L |
Our rule: medium or high counts within 40 miles, or a respiratory irritation report = Bad. Low or very low counts (or NOAA Low respiratory forecast) = Meh. Not present/background and no irritation = Good. If a source is stale or unavailable, that source adds no penalty.
FWC samples (last 8 days, within 40 mi of Sarasota, FL):
| Date | Location | Mi | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 26 2026 | Ringling Causeway | 2.1 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
| Oct 26 2026 | Lido Beach Casino | 3.3 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
| Oct 26 2026 | North Lido Beach | 3.4 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
| Oct 26 2026 | South Lido Park | 3.5 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
| Oct 26 2026 | Siesta Beach | 5.1 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
| Oct 26 2026 | Longboat Key Beach | 6.7 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
| Oct 26 2026 | Turtle Beach | 8.2 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
| Oct 26 2026 | Longboat Pass Boat Ramp (Sarasota Bay) | 12.4 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
| Oct 26 2026 | Palma Sola Bay Bridge | 13.3 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
| Oct 26 2026 | Nokomis Beach | 15.2 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
| Oct 26 2026 | North Jetty | 15.8 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
| Oct 26 2026 | Venice Beach | 16.9 | not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L) |
Source: FWC-FWRI Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring Database, public 8-day layer (exported daily ~4:45 p.m. ET). Cite FWC-FWRI. Rapid-release data; not a final dataset. FWC statewide red tide status map.
Respiratory irritation: none reported
| When | Beach (Mote BCRS) | Respiratory | Dead fish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 20:41 | Manasota Key Beach (Englewood) | None | None |
| 2026-10-27 19:26 | Lido Key Beach (Sarasota) | None | None |
| 2026-10-27 18:54 | Nokomis Beach (Nokomis) | None | None |
| 2026-10-27 18:54 | Venice North Jetty Beach (Nokomis) | None | None |
| 2026-10-27 18:46 | Venice Beach (Venice) | None | None |
| 2026-10-27 15:25 | Siesta Key Beach (Sarasota) | None | None |
| 2026-10-27 15:09 | Stump Pass Beach State Park (Englewood) | None | None |
| 2026-10-27 14:28 | North Lido Beach (Sarasota) | None | None |
| 2026-10-27 12:34 | Longboat Key (Longboat Key) | None | None |
| 2026-10-26 20:48 | Venice Beach (Venice) | None | None |
Mote Marine Laboratory Beach Conditions Reporting System, last 3 days at Sarasota-area beaches. visitbeaches.org. Dead fish is shown for context; only respiratory irritation changes the verdict.
NOAA NCCOS Gulf Coast respiratory irritation forecast (nearest 5 of 23 sites within 40 mi; model 2026-10-27T18:00:00-04:00; CC0): Lido Beach Casino Very low; South Lido Park Very low; North Lido Beach Very low; Siesta Beach Very low; Longboat Key Beach Very low. NOAA Gulf Coast HAB forecast.
Pulled 2026-10-27T22:20:19.475Z (UTC). Red tide is patchy; conditions can change with the wind.
How we know
Live federal forecasts, pulled every 3 hours.
- National Weather Service API (api.weather.gov), hourly forecast and alerts for Siesta Key: Official NWS hourly forecast (temperature, chance of precipitation, wind) and active alerts. U.S. government data, public domain.
- NWS Heat Index chart: Heat index 90–103°F: extreme caution; 103–124°F: danger; 125°F+: extreme danger.
- U.S. EPA UV Index (Envirofacts), ZIP 34236: Daily UV Index forecast by ZIP code from EPA and NWS.
- FWC-FWRI Karenia brevis current status (8-day sample layer): Public ArcGIS layer of the most recent eight days of Karenia brevis sample points from the FWC-FWRI Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring Database, exported daily ~4:45 p.m. ET. Abundance categories: not present/background (0–1,000 cells/L), very low (>1,000–10,000), low (>10,000–100,000), medium (>100,000–1,000,000), high (>1,000,000). Cite FWC-FWRI. Rapid-release data; not a final dataset.
- Mote Marine Laboratory Beach Conditions Reporting System (visitbeaches.org): Volunteer Beach Ambassador reports for respiratory irritation and dead fish at Florida beaches, including Siesta, Lido, Turtle Beach, Venice and Longboat Key. Public GraphQL read API; no key.
- NOAA NCCOS Gulf Coast respiratory irritation forecast (RIF): Modeled beach-level respiratory irritation risk from Karenia brevis cell counts and forecast winds, updated about every 3 hours. U.S. government data released under CC0.
Last updated: page rebuilt October 27, 2026. Data status: beach: ok, last good October 27, 2026 · redtide: ok, last good October 27, 2026.
FAQ
What is the best time to go jogging in Sarasota today?
Per the latest NWS forecast: 6p–10p (Good, 75–83°F feels-like). The page shows the hour-by-hour math.
Does this include air quality?
No. AirNow's data API needs a registered key, so we link to AirNow instead.
Do you include air quality?
Not in the verdict. AirNow needs a registered API key, so we link to AirNow instead.