Alert archive / Florida / Rip Current Statements in 2026

Rip Current Statement 9, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

February 4, 20266 counties in Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this rip current statement at Feb 4, 2026, 8:20 AM EST for 6 counties in Florida. It took effect at Feb 5, 2026, 8:00 AM EST. It was in force for 35 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 4, 2026, 8:20 AM EST (13:20 UTC)
In effect from
Feb 5, 2026, 8:00 AM EST
Expired
Feb 6, 2026, 7:00 PM EST
In force
35 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 13:19 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, 1.3 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 12:00Z on 2026-02-04Temperature 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°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 2026-02-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 77 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
1305 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
77 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
35 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

392 
WHUS42 KTBW 041320
CFWTBW

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
820 AM EST Wed Feb 4 2026

FLZ050-151-155-160-162-165-070000-
/O.NEW.KTBW.RP.S.0009.260205T1300Z-260207T0000Z/
Pinellas-Coastal Hillsborough-Coastal Manatee-Coastal Sarasota-
Coastal Charlotte-Coastal Lee-
820 AM EST Wed Feb 4 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH
FRIDAY EVENING...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

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

* WHEN...From Thursday morning through Friday 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 Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 4, 8:18 AM ESTSmall Craft AdvisoryTBW46 hr
Feb 4, 12:20 PM ESTFreeze WatchTBWCitrus, Levy13 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.