Heat Advisory Covers Sumter, Pinellas, Polk and 21 More Florida Zones Until 7 p.m. Tuesday
Heat index values up to 112 are expected across portions of southwest and west central Florida from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. EDT Tuesday, August 18, 2026, according to the National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL advisory product.
4 reports on this incident · first at Aug 18, 2026, 1:26 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.
We last searched for new coverage of this at Aug 18, 2026, 1:41 a.m. ET — checked 7h ago.
Earlier reports
Aug 18, 2026, 2:28 a.m. ET
Heat Advisory Begins 11 a.m. in Pinellas, Polk, Sumter and 21 More Florida Zones
A Heat Advisory for portions of southwest and west central Florida is not yet in force. According to the National Weather Service alert record for the event, it takes effect at 11:00 a.m. EDT on Aug. 18, 2026, and expires at 7:00 p.m. EDT the same evening. The record describes the window as "From 11 AM this morning to 7 PM EDT this evening."
The advisory was issued at 12:52 a.m. EDT on Aug. 18, 2026 \begins — roughly ten hours before it starts — by the National Weather Service office in Tampa Bay Ruskin, Florida, according to the same alert record. It covers 24 zones.
The alert record states that heat index values up to 112 are expected. The advisory covers Sumter, Pinellas, Polk, Hardee, Highlands and DeSoto counties, alongside coastal and inland areas of Levy, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties. Cities named in the record include Lakeland, Cape Coral, The Villages, Plant City, Spring Hill, Zephyrhills, Punta Gorda, Arcadia, Brooksville, Avon Park, Cedar Key, Sanibel, Lehigh Acres and Sun City Center.
The record notes that hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses. Its precautions are to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.
Unless the National Weather Service extends or replaces it, the advisory ends at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Aug. 18, 2026; a reader seeing this after that hour should treat it as expired.
Aug 18, 2026, 1:57 a.m. ET
Heat Advisory Starts 11 a.m. Tuesday for Pinellas, Polk, Sumter and 21 Other Florida Zones, Lifts at 7 p.m.
A Heat Advisory covering 24 zones in southwest and west central Florida takes effect at 11 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, and expires at 7 p.m. EDT the same evening, according to the advisory record issued by the National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL at 12:52 a.m. EDT that morning.
As of the record's issuance, the advisory had not yet begun. The weather service record states that heat index values up to 112 are expected across portions of southwest and west central Florida, and that hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses.
The advisory record lists 24 zones: Sumter, Pinellas, Polk, Hardee, Highlands and DeSoto, along with the coastal and inland zones of Levy, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties. Communities named in the record include Lakeland, Plant City, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Punta Gorda, The Villages, Spring Hill, Brooksville, Zephyrhills, Dade City, Sun City Center, Arcadia, Avon Park, Zolfo Springs, Placid Lakes, Myakka City, Babcock Ranch, Sanibel, Anna Maria Island, Englewood, Crystal River, Lake Panasoffkee, Cedar Key, Bronson and Williston.
To reduce the risk during the eight-hour window, the National Weather Service advises residents to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.
Readers checking after 7 p.m. EDT on Aug. 18, 2026, should note that the advisory period stated in the record has ended by that time unless the weather service issues a new or extended product.
Aug 18, 2026, 1:26 a.m. ETFirst report
Heat Index Up to 112 in Sumter, Pinellas, Polk: Heat Advisory Covers 24 Florida Zones
A Heat Advisory is in force for portions of southwest and west central Florida on August 18, 2026, with heat index values up to 112 expected, according to the advisory product issued by the National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL and published in the agency's raw text product feed at tgftp.nws.noaa.gov.
The advisory record shows it was issued at 12:52 AM EDT on August 18, 2026 (2026-08-18T00:52:00-04:00). It takes effect at 11:00 AM EDT (2026-08-18T11:00:00-04:00) and expires at 7:00 PM EDT the same day (2026-08-18T19:00:00-04:00) — described in the product itself as "From 11 AM this morning to 7 PM EDT this evening."
The alert is at the advisory level and covers 24 zones: Sumter, Pinellas, Polk, Hardee, Highlands and DeSoto, plus the coastal and inland portions of Levy, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee.
Cities named in the advisory area are Zolfo Springs, Placid Lakes, Cape Coral, Crystal River, Lake Panasoffkee, Arcadia, Plant City, Englewood, Sanibel, Myakka City, Zephyrhills, The Villages, Dade City, Avon Park, Lakeland, Anna Maria Island, Lehigh Acres, Cedar Key, Babcock Ranch, Bronson, Spring Hill, Punta Gorda, Brooksville, Sun City Center and Williston.
On impacts, the advisory states that hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses. The precautions listed in the same product are to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.
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- Version 118 Aug 2026, 06:29current
First published.
- Version 118 Aug 2026, 05:57current
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- Version 118 Aug 2026, 05:26current
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- Version 118 Aug 2026, 06:28current
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