Alert archive / Florida / Rip Current Statements in 2020

Rip Current Statement 17, NWS Melbourne, FL

March 11, 2020Volusia County, Florida

NWS Melbourne, FL issued this rip current statement at Mar 11, 2020, 3:04 AM EDT for Volusia County, Florida. It was in force for 17 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Mar 11, 2020, 3:04 AM EDT (07:04 UTC)
Expired: Mar 11, 2020, 8:00 PM EDT
In force: 17 hr
Issued by: NWS Melbourne, FL

County Volusia County, FL

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:06 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

Cape Canaveral, FL (KXMR), launched 00:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 91 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: 5 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -34 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1242 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -16 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 23 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

999 
WHUS42 KMLB 110704
CFWMLB

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Melbourne FL
304 AM EDT Wed Mar 11 2020

FLZ047-054-059-064-141-147-120000-
/O.NEW.KMLB.RP.S.0017.200311T0704Z-200312T0000Z/
Southern Brevard-Indian River-St. Lucie-Martin-Coastal Volusia-
Northern Brevard-
304 AM EDT Wed Mar 11 2020

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH 8 PM THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Southern Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, 
  Coastal Volusia and Northern Brevard Counties.

* WHEN...While rip currents will be present all day, the threat
  will be highest between 1 PM and 7 PM due to tidal effects.

* IMPACTS...Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away
  from shore into deeper water.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 jetties and
piers. Heed the advice of lifeguards, beach patrol flags and
signs.

Weak swimmers will not want to enter the water above their knees
today. If you do decide to enter the ocean today, swim only within
sight of a lifeguard. Never swim alone. If caught in the seaward
pull of a rip current, relax and float. Don't swim against the 
current. If able, swim in a direction following the shoreline.
If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.

&&

$$

Rodriguez

Nearby

Rip Current Statements in Florida, 2020 Every rip current statement in 2020

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.