Alert archive / Florida / Rip Current Statements in 2026

Rip Current Statement 33, NWS Tallahassee, FL

May 7, 2026Bay County, Gulf County, Walton County, Florida

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this rip current statement at May 7, 2026, 2:36 AM CDT for Bay County, Gulf County, Walton County, Florida. It took effect at May 7, 2026, 3:00 AM CDT. It was in force for 38 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 7, 2026, 2:36 AM CDT (07:36 UTC)
In effect from
May 7, 2026, 3:00 AM CDT
Expired
May 8, 2026, 5:00 PM CDT
In force
38 hr
Issued by
NWS Tallahassee, FL

Counties Bay County, FL, Gulf County, FL, Walton County, FL

The radar

The Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:38 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

Birmingham, AL (KBMX), launched 00:00Z, 7.6 hours before the alert went out and 341 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2026-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 690 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2026-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 159 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
690 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-23 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
710 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
73 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
159 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
213 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.0
Supercell composite
6.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

913 
WHUS42 KTAE 070736
CFWTAE

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
336 AM EDT Thu May 7 2026

FLZ108-112-114-080900-
/O.NEW.KTAE.RP.S.0033.260507T0800Z-260508T0900Z/
South Walton-Coastal Bay-Coastal Gulf-
336 AM EDT Thu May 7 2026 /236 AM CDT Thu May 7 2026/

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

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Walton, Bay, and the State Park Beaches of Gulf County.

* WHEN...Through late tonight.

* 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
349 
WHUS42 KTAE 080741
CFWTAE

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
341 AM EDT Fri May 8 2026

FLZ108-112-114-082200-
/O.EXT.KTAE.RP.S.0033.000000T0000Z-260508T2200Z/
South Walton-Coastal Bay-Coastal Gulf-
341 AM EDT Fri May 8 2026 /241 AM CDT Fri May 8 2026/

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Walton, Bay, and the State Park Beaches of Gulf County.

* WHEN...Through this afternoon.

* 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 Tallahassee, FL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 7, 7:04 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHolmes, Jackson, Walton56 min
May 7, 8:00 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTAEHolmes60 min
May 7, 8:20 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHolmes, Walton40 min
May 7, 8:51 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHolmes, Jackson, Washington54 min
May 7, 9:15 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEJackson30 min
May 7, 9:36 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEHolmes, Walton, Washington39 min
May 7, 9:38 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEJackson, Washington41 min
May 7, 10:03 AM CDTTornado WarningTAEHolmes, Walton, Washington27 min
May 7, 10:07 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEBay, Holmes, Walton, Washington53 min
May 7, 10:12 AM CDTTornado WarningTAEWalton, Washington33 min
May 7, 10:25 AM CDTTornado WarningTAEBay, Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, Walton, Washington50 min
May 7, 10:43 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threatTAEBay, Calhoun, Holmes, Jackson, Washington62 min
May 7, 11:11 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAECalhoun, Gadsden, Jackson, Liberty64 min
May 7, 11:39 AM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTAECalhoun36 min
May 7, 11:54 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEGadsden, Jefferson, Leon66 min
May 7, 12:14 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTAECalhoun31 min
May 7, 12:18 PM CDTTornado WarningTAEGadsden, Leon27 min
May 7, 12:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEWalton44 min
May 7, 12:52 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEJefferson, Madison, Taylor53 min
May 7, 1:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAELafayette, Madison, Taylor27 min
May 7, 1:52 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTAEMadison53 min
May 7, 3:00 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningTAE60 min
May 7, 3:57 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningTAE48 min
May 7, 4:13 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTAEBay, Liberty32 min

Nearby

Rip Current Statements in Florida, 2026Every rip current statement in 2026

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.