Rip Current, Okaloosa
- When
- April 21, 1:00 PM CST to 1:05 PM CST
- Where
- Okaloosa County, Okaloosa Island
- Coordinates
- 30.665, -86.592 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Rip Current in Florida, April 21, 1996
Two teenagers were playing in the surf at Beasley Park on Okaloosa Island when they were caught in a rip current. Lifeguards had to rescue the two females who were then taken to a local hospital for observation by their parents.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS MOB wrote it up.
Two teenagers were playing in the surf at Beasley Park on Okaloosa Island when they were caught in a rip current. Lifeguards had to rescue the two females who were then taken to a local hospital for observation by their parents. They were both examined and released.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Rip Current
- A narrow, fast current flowing away from the beach that caused a drowning or rescue.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes in Arkansas, April 21, 1996
- Tornado in Arkansas, April 21, 1996
- Tornado in Arkansas, April 21, 1996
- Tornado in Oklahoma, April 21, 1996
- Hail in Kansas, April 21, 1996
- Tornado in Oklahoma, April 21, 1996
- Hail in Texas, April 21, 1996
- Tornado in Oklahoma, April 21, 1996
- Hail in Texas, April 21, 1996
- Tornado in Oklahoma, April 21, 1996
- Hail in Texas, April 21, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, April 21, 1996
More
Every storm in Florida in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, April 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5543618.