Good morning, this is your Sunday surf zone forecast for the Florida Panhandle beaches brought to you by the National Weather Service in Tallahassee.

We're kicking off this Sunday with some serious rip current action along the Walton, South-facing Gulf, and Franklin County beaches. A southeasterly swell is pumping in two to three foot waves, and those conditions are creating a high rip current risk that'll stick around through late tonight. If you're heading to the water today, stay sharp and respect the power of these currents.

Let's break down what's happening at specific beaches. Down in South Walton, including Sandestin and Santa Rosa Beach, we've got that high rip current risk in full effect. Expect around three feet of surf with east winds around twenty miles per hour, diminishing to about ten by afternoon. Water temperature's holding at a comfortable sixty-eight degrees, so it'll be a pleasant partly sunny day with highs near seventy. Just watch out for that very high UV index.

Over at Panama City Beach and Magnolia Beach in the Coastal Bay area, conditions are slightly calmer with a moderate rip current risk today. You're looking at around two feet of surf and water temps at sixty-six degrees. Winds will be a bit lighter at fifteen to twenty miles per hour, and highs should reach the lower seventies.

The Coastal Gulf beaches around Saint Joe Beach tell a more complicated story depending on which way the beach faces. South-facing beaches are looking at a high rip current risk with two feet of surf, while west-facing beaches are dealing with a moderate risk and only a foot or less. State parks are moderate as well. It'll be breezy out there with east winds at twenty to twenty-five miles per hour.

Finally, over in Coastal Franklin at Apalachicola, we're back to a high rip current risk with two feet of surf. Water's the warmest in the zone at seventy degrees, and winds will be fifteen to twenty from the east.

Now let's look ahead to Monday. Good news on the horizon, folks. Most beaches are dropping down to moderate rip current risk, which is significantly better than what we're seeing today. This could be your most benign day of the week if you're itching to get in the water. Surf heights are coming down to one or two feet across the board, it'll be mostly sunny, and highs will be in the lower to mid seventies. Winds will ease up to around ten to fifteen miles per hour from the southeast.

Tuesday brings a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms along with continued moderate rip current risk. Surf will be around two feet and highs stay in the lower seventies.

Now here's where things get interesting again. Wednesday and Thursday are when that swell becomes more southerly, and the National Weather Service is calling for a medium to high chance of high rip current risk developing at much of the Gulf beaches. Surf could reach two to three feet, and we might see a chance of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday, clearing out by Thursday. H

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.