Alert archive / Florida / Rip Current Statements in 2026

Rip Current Statement 34, NWS Tallahassee, FL

May 9, 2026Bay County, Gulf County, Walton County, Florida

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this rip current statement at May 9, 2026, 2:53 AM CDT for Bay County, Gulf County, Walton County, Florida. It was in force for 14 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 9, 2026, 2:53 AM CDT (07:53 UTC)
Expired
May 9, 2026, 5:00 PM CDT
In force
14 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 07:53 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, 7.9 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 2026-05-09Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2026-05-09The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 149 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1299 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
149 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
217 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

058 
WHUS42 KTAE 090753
CFWTAE

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
353 AM EDT Sat May 9 2026

FLZ108-112-114-092200-
/O.NEW.KTAE.RP.S.0034.260509T0753Z-260509T2200Z/
South Walton-Coastal Bay-Coastal Gulf-
353 AM EDT Sat May 9 2026 /253 AM CDT Sat May 9 2026/

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

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents.

* WHERE...Walton, Bay, and Gulf County Beaches.

* WHEN...Through this afternoon.

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

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...A short-lived surge of southeast wind from
  about midnight to 3 am CDT came with gusts to gale-force. The
  wind has died down now, but this kicked up enough surf to 
  confidently bring a high risk of rip currents through this 
  morning. The surf zone effects of the overnight wind surge will 
  fade this afternoon, so the risk of rip currents will also fade 
  away by late afternoon. 

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 8, 11:33 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningTAE87 min
May 9, 1:01 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningTAE59 min
May 9, 11:07 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningTAE53 min
May 9, 11:51 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningTAE84 min
May 9, 11:54 AM CDTSpecial Marine WarningTAE96 min
May 9, 1:05 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningTAE3 hr
May 9, 1:09 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningTAE3 hr
May 9, 2:08 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningTAE2 hr
May 9, 3:48 PM CDTSpecial Marine WarningTAE3 hr

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.