Alert archive / Florida / Rip Current Statements in 2026

Rip Current Statement 37, NWS Tallahassee, FL

May 20, 20264 counties in Florida

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this rip current statement at May 20, 2026, 2:16 AM CDT for 4 counties in Florida. It was in force for 21 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 20, 2026, 2:16 AM CDT (07:16 UTC)
Expired
May 20, 2026, 11:00 PM CDT
In force
21 hr
Issued by
NWS Tallahassee, FL

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

The radar

The Eglin Afb radar (KEVX), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:15 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, 7.3 hours before the alert went out and 360 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 2026-05-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 198 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, Birmingham, AL at 00:00Z on 2026-05-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -6 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
198 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-60 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1821 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
17 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

776 
WHUS42 KTAE 200716
CFWTAE

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
316 AM EDT Wed May 20 2026

FLZ108-112-114-115-210400-
/O.NEW.KTAE.RP.S.0037.260520T0716Z-260521T0400Z/
South Walton-Coastal Bay-Coastal Gulf-Coastal Franklin-
316 AM EDT Wed May 20 2026 /216 AM CDT Wed May 20 2026/

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

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents.

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

* WHEN...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 20, 1:29 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTAEBay46 min
May 20, 2:15 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTAEWashington45 min
May 20, 2:56 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTAEHolmes34 min
May 20, 3:51 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTAEHolmes54 min
May 20, 3:59 PM CDTSpecial Weather StatementTAELeon46 min
May 20, 4:23 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryTAELeon52 min
May 20, 4:50 PM CDTAreal Flood AdvisoryTAEGulf55 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.