Latest news with #ErikHeden
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Hurricane season heats up; danger possible at East Coast beaches
If you're headed to beaches along the East Coast over the Aug. 9 weekend, remain alert for possibly dangerous swimming conditions as a result of disturbed weather offshore. 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@ 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
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Eastern NC preparing a hurricane season officially underway
CARTERET COUNTY, N.C. (WNCT) — Hurricane season has begun and meteorologists with the National Weather Service are anticipating an active year. Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service Erik Heden stressed how long the season is and how important it is to be prepared early. Heden said the category of a hurricane should also not determine how well you prepare or how seriously you take a storm since it only relates to wind. He said 85 percent of hurricane-related deaths are due to water. 'During Florence, we also learned that we had a whole lot more flooding in areas that we've never had flooding before,' Carteret County Emergency Services Director Stephen Rea said. 'It's the whole county that's vulnerable.' Rea said it's important to have a weeks' worth of supplies in a hurricane preparedness kit including food, water, batteries and a weather radio. It's also important to have a strong evacuation plan. 'A shelter is a safe place, but it should be your last resort. It's not a hotel. It's not going to be a comfortable location,' Heden said. 'Try to go to a hotel either out of state or out of the area or all the people that come and visit you at the beach? Go visit them.' The National Weather Service is hosting a hurricane community forum at the Pine Knoll Shores Town Hall June 17th at 10 a.m. You can register here. Learn more about Carteret County's emergency preparedness here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Carteret County hosts Hurricane Preparedness Expo
CARTERET COUNTY, N.C. (WNCT) — Local, state, and federal experts provided resources and information for the upcoming hurricane season during Carteret County's Hurricane Preparedness Expo. Hurricane season officially starts June 1st, but May 4th-10th is National Hurricane Preparedness Week. The National Weather Service says there have been hurricanes as early as May. Some of the best ways to be prepared is by creating a family plan, creating an emergency kit stocked with at least a week's worth of supplies, and having a reliable way to evacuate. Carteret County officials also let residents notify them if they are medically fragile. The form can be found here. 'It provides us with the necessary information of whether they need to go to the hospital, to a medically fragile shelter or just need transportation,' Emergency Services Director Stephen Rea said. Erik Heden with the National Weather Service says that 85% of people that die in a hurricane do so because of water, whether it's through storm surges, flooding or rip currents. 'Some of the biggest misconceptions are people don't want to leave the area because they think it's going to be extremely hard to get back,' Heden said. 'You'll make it back and safety is first. We always stress we can replace your house, we can replace your car, we can't replace you.' You can find more on the county's hurricane preparedness resources here Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
People preparing ahead of possibly severe thunderstorms across Eastern N.C.
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — It's Severe Weather Preparedness Week and Eastern North Carolina is preparing for a storm system that could produce tornadoes. 'Lightning, while we don't issue warnings for those, that's one thing in ENC that everyone will see,' National Weather Service Coordination Meteorologist Erik Heden said. 'I know tornadoes get a lot of notoriety, but we get thunderstorms 40-50 days of the year, so we get quite a lot. The rule with that is when thunder roars, go indoors. If you can hear thunder, you are at risk.' Heden said having a severe weather plan is just as important for severe storms and tornadoes as it is for hurricanes and flooding. He said preparing before the storm arrives and then being ready are keys to being safe. 'The day of, make sure your phone is charged up, make sure it's not on DND if the threat for storms is at night,' he said. 'Have multiple ways to get warnings. You can get them on your phone or a NOAA weather radio. Start a few days before pay attention to the forecast. The day before, is it normal or severe, then the day of, have all your devices charged and ready to receive warnings.' As Spring is approaching, it's a key time to be prepared for severe weather in Eastern North Carolina as there can be many different forms of weather issues. 'Typically, our strongest storms, March, April and May,' Heden said. 'That is where we have had some of our bigger tornadoes. Tornadoes are a threat, intense rainfall, large hail, as sometimes we have had ping-pong or baseball-sized hail, very, very large. High winds, large hail, tornadoes and intense rain are kind of the biggest threats we get for severe weather in ENC.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
