Rip Current Warnings Issued for Florida Beaches

Over two million residents and tourists along Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts are under advisories this week due to dangerous ocean conditions driven by rip currents and gusty winds. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a high rip current risk through Thursday morning, prompting urgent warnings from meteorologists and local officials.

The advisory affects a large area of coastline that includes both the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Coast. Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, and Lee counties on the Gulf Coast, and a separate Beach Hazards Statement is also in effect for parts of Florida’s Atlantic coastline, including Indian River and St. Lucie counties, where a northward-flowing longshore current is expected to persist through Monday night.

“Even in calm weather, rip currents can be deadly,” said meteorologist Paul Close of the NWS Tampa Bay office. “This time of year, it happens. We had a front go by yesterday with strong southerly winds ahead of it, and behind it they shifted to the north-northwest. We still have leftover waves coming in with those higher winds, and we end up seeing higher rip currents that should subside tomorrow.”

Close added that while rip currents can form year-round, they are most frequent during the winter and spring months. “It can happen in the summer, but it’s not as common unless there’s a storm offshore,” he explained.

What Are Rip Tides and Why Are They Dangerous?