Alert archive / Florida / Rip Current Statements in 2018

Rip Current Statement 22, NWS Tallahassee, FL

February 21, 2018Bay County, Walton County, Florida

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this rip current statement at Feb 21, 2018, 9:49 AM CST for Bay County, Walton County, Florida. It took effect at Feb 21, 2018, 10:00 AM CST. It was in force for 38 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Feb 21, 2018, 9:49 AM CST (15:49 UTC)
In effect from: Feb 21, 2018, 10:00 AM CST
Expired: Feb 23, 2018, 12:00 AM CST
In force: 38 hr
Issued by: NWS Tallahassee, FL

Counties Bay County, FL, Walton County, FL

The radar

The Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 15 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:52 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 12:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 154 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 469 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 572 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 141 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 173 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.2
Supercell composite: 1.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

420 
WHUS42 KTAE 211549
CFWTAE

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
1049 AM EST Wed Feb 21 2018

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK FOR BAY AND WALTON COUNTY BEACHES...

FLZ108-112-221200-
/O.NEW.KTAE.RP.S.0022.180221T1600Z-180223T0600Z/
South Walton-Coastal Bay-
1049 AM EST Wed Feb 21 2018 /949 AM CST Wed Feb 21 2018/

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee has issued a High Rip
Current Risk, which is in effect through late Thursday night. 

* SURF HEIGHT...3-4 feet.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

There is a high risk of rip currents.

Rip currents are powerful channels of water flowing quickly away
from shore, which occur most often at low spots or breaks in the
sandbar and in the vicinity of structures such as groins, jetties
and piers. Heed the advice of lifeguards, beach patrol flags and
signs.

If you become caught in a rip current, yell for help. Remain
calm, do not exhaust yourself and stay afloat while waiting for
help. If you have to swim out of a rip current, swim parallel to
shore and back toward the beach when possible. Do not attempt to
swim directly against a rip current as you will tire quickly. 

&&

$$

1 follow-up statement

881 
WHUS42 KTAE 221442
CFWTAE

COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
ISSUED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
942 AM EST THU FEB 22 2018

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK FOR BAY AND WALTON COUNTY BEACHES...

FLZ108-112-230600-
/O.CON.KTAE.RP.S.0022.000000T0000Z-180223T0600Z/
SOUTH WALTON-COASTAL BAY-
942 AM EST THU FEB 22 2018 /842 AM CST THU FEB 22 2018/

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

* SURF HEIGHT...3 TO 4 FEET.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS.

RIP CURRENTS ARE POWERFUL CHANNELS OF WATER FLOWING QUICKLY AWAY
FROM SHORE, WHICH OCCUR MOST OFTEN AT LOW SPOTS OR BREAKS IN THE
SANDBAR AND IN THE VICINITY OF STRUCTURES SUCH AS GROINS, JETTIES
AND PIERS. HEED THE ADVICE OF LIFEGUARDS, BEACH PATROL FLAGS AND
SIGNS.

IF YOU BECOME CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT, YELL FOR HELP. REMAIN
CALM, DO NOT EXHAUST YOURSELF AND STAY AFLOAT WHILE WAITING FOR
HELP. IF YOU HAVE TO SWIM OUT OF A RIP CURRENT, SWIM PARALLEL TO
SHORE AND BACK TOWARD THE BEACH WHEN POSSIBLE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
SWIM DIRECTLY AGAINST A RIP CURRENT AS YOU WILL TIRE QUICKLY.

&&

$$

Nearby

Rip Current Statements in Florida, 2018 Every rip current statement in 2018

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.