Hurricane season heats up; danger possible at East Coast beaches
Even without a named tropical storm directly at the coast, waves and swells from distant storms hundreds of miles away can create life-threatening conditions in the water and at the beach.
There's plenty happening offshore or nearshore as of Aug. 7 that could make conditions rough in the water, and that may continue through the weekend, said Erik Heden, a warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Newport/Morehead City, North Carolina.
"Love the beach and respect the ocean," Heden said, borrowing a phrase from Dare County on North Carolina's Outer Banks.
On Aug. 7, the National Hurricane Center was watching an area of disturbed weather off the Southeast Coast that had about a 20% chance of developing into a tropical storm and a tropical wave that had emerged off the west African coast showed potential for development. Marine forecasters also were still watching Dexter, the former tropical storm about 1,000 miles east of Cape Cod. And the full moon on Aug. 9 could add to the effect of rip currents and waves.
Waters from North Carolina to Long Island could hold a moderate to high risk of rip currents on August 7 and 8, and possibly further into the weekend, Heden said. "Anytime you get ocean storms, whether they be full tropical cyclones or strong areas of low pressure, or an onshore flow you can get rip currents."
Rip currents are narrow, powerful currents of water that can form perpendicular to the beach and flow quickly away. They can be powerful enough to carry even strong swimmers away from shore. Unlike thunderstorms and lightning that you can see and hear, Heden said rip currents aren't as obvious and can occur days before or after a storm.
Rip currents, rough surf and other strong currents – even at beaches not on the ocean – kill dozens of people in the United States and territories each year. As of July 17, the National Weather Service had reported at least 25 deaths this year from rip currents, including 10 in Florida, six in Puerto Rico, three in Texas, two each in South Carolina and Hawaii and one each in Guam and North Carolina.
Another two dozen fatalities have occurred in the surf zone so far this year, including seven attributed to high surf and sneaker waves, the weather service has reported.
Storms can be fatal even when they don't make landfall. In 2019, as Hurricane Lorenzo moved northward off the Atlantic Coast, "we lost eight people from Florida up through Rhode Island," he said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, parent agency to the weather service, and others have worked to emphasize the risk of rip currents and how to stay safer while recreating outdoors. For example, earlier this year, the National Hurricane Center launched a rip current graphic to illustrate the dangers associated with tropical storms, even when they're long distances away.
Over a 10-year period, about 10-15% of all deaths in tropical storms and hurricanes were attributed to rip currents, the hurricane center said. Earlier this year, NOAA launched a new public safety campaign "Blue IQ" focused on hazards in the surf.
Staying safe in a rip current
One of the singlemost important things to remember about a rip current is that it doesn't pull a swimmer under, it pulls you out away from the beach. So, staying calm and remembering to swim parallel to the beach can help you escape the rip and save your life, advises Heden and many others.
One of the newer pressing concerns is an increase in deaths from bystanders who try to help people caught up in rip currents, Heden said.
He offers the following additional points for rip current safety.
Swim at a life-guarded beach.
Always know your location when you're at the beach, so you could tell 911 operators.
If someone is caught in a rip current, call 911 immediately.
Instead of going in after someone, give them directions from shore, or throw them a floatation device
Know the forecast before you get in the water
How can you spot a rip current?
Heden and the weather service offer the following ways to help identify rip currents:
More common near low tide and jetties or piers.
Often found in areas where it may look like a good place to swim because waves aren't breaking there.
Water might be darker in color, or have a line of debris moving away from shore.
Easier to spot from an elevated viewpoint such as a beach access.
Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writes about climate change, violent weather and other news. Reach her at dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Forecasters warn of dangerous beach conditions amid hurricane season
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