National Weather Service Extends Heat Advisory Through 7 PM EDT
The advisory for southwest and west central Florida now runs longer than first issued on August 16, 2026.
4 reports on this incident · first at Aug 16, 2026, 12:41 a.m. ET
Hazard products are revised and cancelled as conditions change. Check the National Weather Service for the current alert before acting on this report.
Earlier reports
Aug 16, 2026, 12:56 a.m. ET
Heat Advisory to Take Effect at 11 AM Sunday for Southwest and West Central Florida
A Heat Advisory issued by the National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL is scheduled to begin at 11 AM EDT on Sunday, August 16, 2026, and expires at 7 PM EDT that same evening, according to the advisory bulletin published in the National Weather Service raw text product archive. It is not yet in force at the time of publication.
The bulletin covers portions of southwest and west central Florida, where heat index values of 108 to 112 are expected during the eight-hour window. The bulletin gives the timing as "From 11 AM this morning to 7 PM EDT this evening." Readers arriving after 7 PM EDT on August 16 should note that the end time stated in the bulletin will have passed.
According to the same bulletin, the advisory applies to 24 zones: Sumter, Pinellas, Polk, Hardee, Highlands, DeSoto, Coastal Levy, Coastal Citrus, Coastal Hernando, Coastal Pasco, Coastal Hillsborough, Coastal Manatee, Coastal Sarasota, Coastal Charlotte, Coastal Lee, Inland Levy, Inland Citrus, Inland Hernando, Inland Pasco, Inland Hillsborough, Inland Manatee, Inland Sarasota, Inland Charlotte and Inland Lee.
Cities named within the advisory area include Placid Lakes, Tampa, Bradenton, Plant City, Babcock Ranch, Sun City Center, Sanibel, Myakka City, Westchase, Sarasota, Yankeetown, Cape Coral, Spring Hill, Dade City, Bronson, Winter Haven, Lehigh Acres, Port Charlotte, The Villages, Largo, Punta Gorda, Williston, Crystal River, Fort Myers and Wauchula.
The advisory states that hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses. The precautions listed in the bulletin are to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.
The alert level recorded in the bulletin is advisory. The bulletin, as carried in the raw text archive, does not rank that level against other National Weather Service heat products.
Aug 16, 2026, 12:49 a.m. ET
NWS Warns High Humidity and Heat May Cause Heat Illnesses
Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses, according to official records from the National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL.
The warning applies to a Heat Advisory in effect on August 16, 2026, starting at 11 AM EDT and expiring at 7 PM EDT. Heat index values of 108 to 112 are expected across 24 zones in portions of southwest and west central Florida, including Tampa, Fort Myers, Sarasota, and Cape Coral.
Official Weather Service records state that people should drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.
Aug 16, 2026, 12:41 a.m. ETFirst report
Heat Advisory to Take Effect at 11 AM Sunday in Southwest and West Central Florida
A Heat Advisory takes effect at 11 AM EDT on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2026, for portions of southwest and west central Florida, according to the advisory record issued by the National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL. It is scheduled to expire at 7 PM EDT the same evening. The advisory is not yet in force at the time of publication; the record gives its window as "From 11 AM this morning to 7 PM EDT this evening."
Heat index values of 108 to 112 are expected across 24 zones, the record states. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses, according to the same record.
The advisory covers Sumter, Pinellas, Polk, Hardee, Highlands, DeSoto, Coastal Levy, Coastal Citrus, Coastal Hernando, Coastal Pasco, Coastal Hillsborough, Coastal Manatee, Coastal Sarasota, Coastal Charlotte, Coastal Lee, Inland Levy, Inland Citrus, Inland Hernando, Inland Pasco, Inland Hillsborough, Inland Manatee, Inland Sarasota, Inland Charlotte, and Inland Lee. Cities inside the advisory area are Placid Lakes, Tampa, Bradenton, Plant City, Babcock Ranch, Sun City Center, Sanibel, Myakka City, Westchase, Sarasota, Yankeetown, Cape Coral, Spring Hill, Dade City, Bronson, Winter Haven, Lehigh Acres, Port Charlotte, The Villages, Largo, Punta Gorda, Williston, Crystal River, Fort Myers, and Wauchula.
For the eight hours the advisory is in force, the National Weather Service record advises people to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.
Readers seeing this after 7 PM EDT on Aug. 16, 2026, should note that the advisory window closed at that time unless the issuing office extends or replaces it.
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Revision history
- Version 116 Aug 2026, 05:05current
First published.
- Version 116 Aug 2026, 04:49current
First published.
- Version 116 Aug 2026, 04:41current
First published.
- Version 116 Aug 2026, 04:56current
First published.
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