Alert archive / Florida / Rip Current Statements in 2026

Rip Current Statement 35, NWS Tallahassee, FL

May 18, 2026Bay County, Franklin County, Gulf County, Florida

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this rip current statement at May 18, 2026, 2:15 AM CDT for Bay County, Franklin County, Gulf County, Florida. It took effect at May 18, 2026, 1:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 10 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 18, 2026, 2:15 AM CDT (07:15 UTC)
In effect from
May 18, 2026, 1:00 PM CDT
Expired
May 18, 2026, 11:00 PM CDT
In force
10 hr
Issued by
NWS Tallahassee, FL

Counties Bay County, FL, Franklin County, FL, Gulf County, FL

The radar

The Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 92 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:20 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, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 375 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 2026-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 471 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 2026-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 2 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
471 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-70 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1059 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
1 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

310 
WHUS42 KTAE 180715
CFWTAE

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
315 AM EDT Mon May 18 2026

FLZ112-114-115-190400-
/O.NEW.KTAE.RP.S.0035.260518T1800Z-260519T0400Z/
Coastal Bay-Coastal Gulf-Coastal Franklin-
315 AM EDT Mon May 18 2026 /215 AM CDT Mon May 18 2026/

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM EDT /1 PM CDT/ THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Bay, Gulf State Park beaches, and Franklin County 
  Beaches.

* WHEN...From 2 PM EDT /1 PM CDT/ this afternoon through this 
  evening.

* 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 17, 7:24 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTAELafayette51 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.