Alert archive / North Carolina / Rip Current Statements in 2015

Rip Current Statement 1, NWS Wilmington, NC

April 17, 2015Georgetown County, Horry County, South Carolina; Brunswick County, New Hanover County, Pender County, North Carolina

NWS Wilmington, NC issued this rip current statement at Apr 17, 2015, 4:52 AM EDT for Georgetown County, Horry County, South Carolina; Brunswick County, New Hanover County, Pender County, North Carolina. It took effect at Apr 17, 2015, 8:00 AM EDT. It was in force for 11 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Apr 17, 2015, 4:52 AM EDT (08:52 UTC)
In effect from: Apr 17, 2015, 8:00 AM EDT
Expired: Apr 17, 2015, 6:54 PM EDT
In force: 11 hr
Issued by: NWS Wilmington, NC

Counties Brunswick County, NC, New Hanover County, NC, Pender County, NC, Georgetown County, SC, Horry County, SC

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 3 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:54 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 00:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 168 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 18 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -5 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 663 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 57 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

011 
WHUS42 KILM 170852
CFWILM

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE...RESENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
452 AM EDT FRI APR 17 2015


NCZ106-108-110-SCZ054-056-180000-
/O.NEW.KILM.RP.S.0001.150417T1200Z-150418T0000Z/
COASTAL PENDER-COASTAL NEW HANOVER-COASTAL BRUNSWICK-COASTAL HORRY-
COASTAL GEORGETOWN-
452 AM EDT FRI APR 17 2015

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM EDT THIS MORNING
THROUGH THIS EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS ISSUED A HIGH RIP
CURRENT RISK...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH
THIS EVENING. A STRONG EASTERLY SWELL COMBINED WITH A NEW MOON
WILL CREATE ENOUGH ENERGY TO PRODUCE STRONG RIP CURRENTS TODAY.

* LOCATION...ALL AREA BEACHES.

* RIP CURRENT RISK...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK FOR ALL BEACHES.

* SURF HEIGHT...4 TO 5 FEET.

* TIMING AND TIDES...THE BEST TIME FOR RIP CURRENTS WILL BE
AN HOUR OR TWO EITHER SIDE OF LOW TIDE...WHICH WILL OCCUR
AROUND 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS. LIFE THREATENING RIP CURRENTS
ARE LIKELY IN THE SURF ZONE.

RIP CURRENTS ARE POWERFUL CHANNELS OF WATER FLOWING QUICKLY AWAY
FROM SHORE...WHICH OCCUR MOST OFTEN AT LOW SPOTS OR BREAKS IN THE
SANDBAR AND IN THE VICINITY OF STRUCTURES SUCH AS GROINS...JETTIES
AND PIERS. HEED THE ADVICE OF LIFEGUARDS...BEACH PATROL FLAGS AND
SIGNS.

IF YOU BECOME CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT...YELL FOR HELP. REMAIN CALM...
DO NOT EXHAUST YOURSELF AND STAY AFLOAT WHILE WAITING FOR HELP. IF
YOU HAVE TO SWIM OUT OF A RIP CURRENT...SWIM PARALLEL TO SHORE AND
BACK TOWARD THE BEACH WHEN POSSIBLE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SWIM DIRECTLY
AGAINST A RIP CURRENT AS YOU WILL TIRE QUICKLY. 



$$
43

1 follow-up statement

757 
WHUS42 KILM 172254
CFWILM

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
654 PM EDT FRI APR 17 2015

NCZ106-108-110-SCZ054-056-180000-
/O.CAN.KILM.RP.S.0001.000000T0000Z-150418T0000Z/
COASTAL PENDER-COASTAL NEW HANOVER-COASTAL BRUNSWICK-COASTAL HORRY-
COASTAL GEORGETOWN-
654 PM EDT FRI APR 17 2015

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IS CANCELLED...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WILMINGTON HAS CANCELLED THE HIGH
RIP CURRENT RISK.

&&
FOR SATURDAYS BEACH FORECAST...CHECK THE LATEST SURF ZONE
FORECAST ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC.

$$

11

Nearby

Rip Current Statements in North Carolina, 2015 Rip Current Statements in South Carolina, 2015 Every rip current statement in 2015

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.