Alert archive / Florida / Rip Current Statements in 2026

Rip Current Statement 11, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

February 16, 20266 counties in Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this rip current statement at Feb 16, 2026, 2:15 AM EST for 6 counties in Florida. It was in force for 17 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 16, 2026, 2:15 AM EST (07:15 UTC)
Expired
Feb 16, 2026, 7:00 PM EST
In force
17 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 07:16 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 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 2026-02-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 35 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 2026-02-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 377 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
35 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-209 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1169 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
377 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
345 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
7.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

811 
WHUS42 KTBW 160715
CFWTBW

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
215 AM EST Mon Feb 16 2026

FLZ050-151-155-160-162-165-170000-
/O.NEW.KTBW.RP.S.0011.260216T0715Z-260217T0000Z/
Pinellas-Coastal Hillsborough-Coastal Manatee-Coastal Sarasota-
Coastal Charlotte-Coastal Lee-
215 AM EST Mon Feb 16 2026

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

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents.

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

* 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.

&&

$$

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.