1 rip current, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Miami, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 10, 12:00 PM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 100 PM EDT WED APR 10 2002 ONLY A FEW CHANGES TO BE MADE TO THE LATEST FORECASTS. SURFACE HIGH CONTINUES FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE SOUTHEAST U.S... WITH ANOTHER HIGH MOVING OUT OF THE NORTHEAST INTO THE ATLANTIC. THIS WILL SERVE TO REINFORCE THE HIGH AND KEEP THE GRADIENT A LITTLE TIGHTER ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA. WITH THIS IN MIND PLAN TO KEEP AT LEAST THE MARINE WINDS AND SEAS A BIT HIGHER THAN IN PREVIOUS FORECASTS. WATER VAPOR LOOPS SHOW MOISTURE STREAM FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO ACROSS MOST OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA INTO THE ATLANTIC... WITH DEEP LAYER DRY AIR ACROSS ONLY THE EXTREME SOUTH PART OF THE PENINSULA. MEANWHILE ALOFT UPPER RIDGE WILL HOLD OVER THE AREA TONIGHT AND THURSDAY... WITH A SHORT-WAVE TROUGH MOVING TO THE GULF COAST THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THIS FEATURE WILL LIKELY INCLUENCE THE WEATHER ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA FOR THE WEEKEND... WHICH WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THE DISCUSSION. WILL CONTINUE WITH LOW POPS (10-20%) TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY... BUT DUE TO INCREASING MOISTURE AND INSTABVILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE AFORE-MENTIONED TROUGH... POPS WILL INCREASE OVER THE WEEKEND. UNTIL THEN LITTLE CHANGE IN EITHER POPS OR TEMPERATURES EXPECTED. MARINE-WISE WITH THE ATLANTIC RIDGE BEING REBUILT PERIODICALLY BY AIRMASSES COMING OFF THE CONTINENT... WILL CONTINUE MAINLY 15 KNOT WINDS... SLIGHTLY STRONGER ATLANTIC WATERS... THROUGH BOTH THE REGULAR AND EXTENDED PERIODS. FOR THE EXTENDED... THE TROUGH ALOFT MOVES ACROSS FLORIDA OVER THE WEEKEND... WITH INCREASING MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY. PLAN TO GO WITH CHANCE CATEGORY POPS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS... MOSTLY DURING THE AFTERNOON INTERIOR AND WEST... AND ANYTIME EAST COAST. WILL LOWER THE POPS BACK TO 20% AGAIN MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS BACK OVER THE EASTERN U.S. IN RESPONSE TO A MAJOR TROUGH DEVELOPING ACROSS THE WEST. NO FIRE WEATHER PROBLEMS ARE ANTICIPATED. PBI BB 070/081 070/082 071 2211 FLL BB 071/082 071/082 071 2211 MIA BB 071/082 071/082 071 2211 APF BB 064/084 065/085 065 1212 .MIA...NONE.
FLZ063-066>075-101800- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 905 AM EDT WED APR 10 2002 ...SLIGHT CHANCE OF AFTERNOON SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS WEST COAST AND NORTHWEST ZONES THIS AFTERNOON... ...SLIGHT CHANCE OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA BEACHES TODAY... A SLIGHT INCREASE IN INSTABILITY MAY ALLOW WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON IN COLLIER, GLADES AND HENDRY COUNTIES. BRIEF HEAVY RAINS MAY OCCUR WITH THIS ACTIVITY BUT THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WHICH WOULD PRODUCE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA WILL PRODUCE SOUTHEAST WINDS AT 15 TO 20 MPH TODAY ALONG THE BEACHES OF PALM BEACH...BROWARD...AND MIAMI-DADE COUNTIES. THIS WILL RESULT IN A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RIP CURRENTS TODAY ALONG THE AREA BEACHES ESPECIALLY AT THE TIME OF LOW TIDE. LOW TIDE TODAY AT MIAMI HARBOR ENTRANCE IS AT 158 PM. NO OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED OVER SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY. SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUESTED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIAMI WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MIA.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
A 77-year old Canadian visitor was wading in waist-deep water at an unguarded section of the beach near the 100 block of Briny Avenue when he was caught in a rip current. The man suffered a heart attack but was revived by paramedics.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, April 2002
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: 5289484.