Alert archive / Florida / Rip Current Statements in 2025

Rip Current Statement 9, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

March 15, 20256 counties in Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this rip current statement at Mar 15, 2025, 8:20 PM EDT for 6 counties in Florida. It took effect at Mar 16, 2025, 8:00 AM EDT. It was in force for 60 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 15, 2025, 8:20 PM EDT (00:20 UTC)
In effect from
Mar 16, 2025, 8:00 AM EDT
Expired
Mar 18, 2025, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
60 hr
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL

Counties Charlotte County, FL, Hillsborough County, FL, Lee County, FL, Manatee County, FL, Pinellas County, FL, Sarasota County, FL

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 44 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:21 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

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 43 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tampa Bay, FL at 00:00Z on 2025-03-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 170 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tampa Bay, FL at 00:00Z on 2025-03-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -59 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
170 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-104 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1442 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-59 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
54 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
-0.0
Supercell composite
-1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

473 
WHUS42 KTBW 160020
CFWTBW

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
820 PM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

FLZ050-151-155-160-162-165-181200-
/O.NEW.KTBW.RP.S.0009.250316T1200Z-250318T1200Z/
Pinellas-Coastal Hillsborough-Coastal Manatee-Coastal Sarasota-
Coastal Charlotte-Coastal Lee-
820 PM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM EDT SUNDAY THROUGH
TUESDAY MORNING...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Pinellas, Coastal Hillsborough, Coastal Manatee, 
  Coastal Sarasota, Coastal Charlotte and Coastal Lee Counties.

* WHEN...From 8 AM EDT Sunday through Tuesday morning.

* IMPACTS...Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away 
  from shore into deeper water.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Swim near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current, relax and
float. Don't swim against the current. If able, swim in a
direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the
shore and call or wave for help.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
188 
WHUS42 KTBW 170650
CFWTBW

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
250 AM EDT Mon Mar 17 2025

FLZ050-151-155-160-162-165-190000-
/O.EXT.KTBW.RP.S.0009.000000T0000Z-250319T0000Z/
Pinellas-Coastal Hillsborough-Coastal Manatee-Coastal Sarasota-
Coastal Charlotte-Coastal Lee-
250 AM EDT Mon Mar 17 2025

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Pinellas, Coastal Hillsborough, Coastal Manatee, 
  Coastal Sarasota, Coastal Charlotte and Coastal Lee Counties. 

* WHEN...From 8 AM EDT Sunday through Tuesday morning.

* IMPACTS...Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away 
  from shore into deeper water. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Swim near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current, relax and
float. Don't swim against the current. If able, swim in a
direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the
shore and call or wave for help.

&&

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 16, 9:09 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW36 min
Mar 16, 9:45 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW60 min
Mar 16, 10:43 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW62 min
Mar 16, 11:12 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementTBWLevy33 min
Mar 16, 11:45 AM EDTSpecial Weather StatementTBWLevy45 min
Mar 16, 11:48 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW57 min
Mar 16, 12:45 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW60 min
Mar 16, 1:45 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW60 min
Mar 16, 3:21 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW54 min
Mar 16, 4:03 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementTBWHernando27 min
Mar 16, 4:15 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW2 hr
Mar 16, 4:19 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWHernando26 min
Mar 16, 4:37 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWCitrus, Hernando23 min
Mar 16, 4:58 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWCitrus, Sumter12 min
Mar 16, 5:30 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWPinellas30 min
Mar 16, 5:57 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementTBWPasco33 min
Mar 16, 6:14 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW61 min
Mar 16, 6:50 PM EDTTornado Warning Tornado observedTBWHillsborough, Manatee12 min
Mar 16, 6:54 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementTBWPasco36 min
Mar 16, 7:00 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWHillsborough, Pasco16 min
Mar 16, 7:30 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementTBWPolk30 min
Mar 16, 7:32 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWHillsborough, Pasco, Polk28 min
Mar 16, 7:59 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWPolk31 min

Nearby

Rip Current Statements in Florida, 2025Every rip current statement in 2025

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.