Alert archive / Florida / Rip Current Statements in 2026
Rip Current Statement 12, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this rip current statement at Feb 21, 2026, 12:33 PM EST for 6 counties in Florida. It took effect at Feb 22, 2026, 1:00 PM EST. It was in force for 45 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Feb 21, 2026, 12:33 PM EST (17:33 UTC)
- In effect from
- Feb 22, 2026, 1:00 PM EST
- Expired
- Feb 24, 2026, 10:00 AM EST
- In force
- 45 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 17:35 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 12:00Z, 5.6 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1380 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 18 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 36 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 39 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
493 WHUS42 KTBW 211733 CFWTBW Coastal Hazard Message National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL 1233 PM EST Sat Feb 21 2026 FLZ050-151-155-160-162-165-241500- /O.NEW.KTBW.RP.S.0012.260222T1800Z-260224T1500Z/ Pinellas-Coastal Hillsborough-Coastal Manatee-Coastal Sarasota- Coastal Charlotte-Coastal Lee- 1233 PM EST Sat Feb 21 2026 ...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected. * WHERE...Pinellas, Coastal Hillsborough, Coastal Manatee, Coastal Sarasota, Coastal Charlotte and Coastal Lee Counties. * WHEN...From Sunday afternoon through Tuesday morning. * 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 Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 10:32 AM EST | Small Craft Advisory | TBW | 65 hr | |
| Feb 21, 12:23 PM EST | Fire Weather Watch | TBW | Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands and 9 more | 55 hr |
| Feb 21, 12:23 PM EST | Red Flag Warning | TBW | Citrus, Hernando, Levy, Sumter | 31 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.