Florida, 2003Rip Current in Florida, May 9, 2003
May 9, 2003 · NWS MOB · 1 event in 1 county or zone
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.
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- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 1
- 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 forecasters said that day
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 Mobile, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 9, 2:04 AM CST, 9 hours 16 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 9, 2:04 AM CST, 9 hours 16 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
304 AM CDT FRI MAY 9 2003
THE LONGWAVE RIDGE PATTERN OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES WEAKENS
THROUGH SUNDAY AS A STRONG MID LEVEL SYSTEM MOVES FROM THE WESTERN
PLAINS TO THE GREAT LAKES REGION. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW WILL
BRING A TRAILING WEAK COLD FRONT INTO THE FORECAST AREA ON
SUNDAY...WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY STALL OVER THE NORTHERN GULF ON
MONDAY. CURRENT MODEL SOUNDINGS OVER THE AREA SHOW A VERY STRONG
800-600 MB THERMAL CAP...AND A LOW LEVEL MOISTURE CAP...WHICH WILL
EFFECTIVELY SUPPRESS CONVECTION TODAY AND SATURDAY. WITH THE DEEP
LAYER RIDGE AXIS OVER THE NORTHERN GULF SHIFTING SOUTHWARD AS THE
STRONG MID LEVEL SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE NORTHERN STATES...THE MID
LEVEL CAP WEAKENS AND SEEMS TO SUPPORT ADDING SLIGHT CHANCE TO
CHANCE POPS FOR SUNDAY AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. THE
WEAK FRONT REMAINS STALLED OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OR NEAR THE
CENTRAL GULF COAST MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...AND THEN LIFTS SLOWLY
NORTHWARD AS A MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO
THE EASTERN STATES ON THURSDAY. THIS PATTERN SHOULD SUPPORT AT
LEAST SLIGHT CHANCE POPS AS IN CURRENT PACKAGE.
MARINE...A TYPICALLY LIGHT SOUTHERLY FLOW CONTINUES UNTIL THE
APPROACHING WEAK FRONT SETTLES OVER THE NORTHERN GULF ON MONDAY.
LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS FOLLOW FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY. LITTLE
CHANGE IN SEAS IS ANTICIPATED.
FIRE...NO CONCERNS WITH AFTERNOON HUMIDITY OR DISPERSION.
29/EVERSOLE
.PRELIMINARY TEMPS / POPS...
MOBILE 90 73 90 72 89 / 00 00 00 00 30
PENSACOLA 85 75 85 75 85 / 00 00 00 00 20
DESTIN 85 77 85 77 85 / 00 00 00 00 20
EVERGREEN 91 73 91 72 88 / 00 00 00 00 30
WAYNESBORO 91 73 91 72 86 / 00 00 00 00 30
CAMDEN 91 72 91 72 86 / 00 00 00 00 30
.MOB...
AL...NONE.
FL...NONE.
MS...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, May 9, 9:30 AM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-MSZ067-075-076-078-079-092100-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1030 AM CDT FRI MAY 9 2003
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INLAND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...
SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...AND THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE.
.DAY ONE...(TODAY AND TONIGHT)
NO SEVERE OR HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. HOWEVER...MODERATE RISK
OF DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS IS EXPECTED AS WIND INCREASES TO AROUND 20
MPH AND GUSTY ALONG THE BEACH THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
SEAS OFFSHORE 3 TO 5 FEET WILL PROPAGATE INTO THE BEACH BRINGING
ROUGH SURF TO MANY BATHERS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)
WHILE CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL INCREASE...NO
SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER...RISK OF CONTINUED
RIP CURRENTS IS EXPECTED AS WIND REMAINS AROUND 20 MPH AND GUSTY
ALONG THE BEACH.
.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION FOR SEVERE WEATHER
OPERATIONS SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED.
Rip Current, Santa Rosa
- When
- May 9, 11:20 AM CST
- Where
- Santa Rosa County, Navarre
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 30.693, -87.018 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A 34 year old male and a younger boy were swimming near Navarre Beach. The rough water kept taking the two farther offshore and they began to struggle. A surfer was able to paddle to them and brought the younger boy to shore. By the time the rescuer got to the second individual he had already gone under. The surfer was able to locate the individual and bring him ashore. The individual was taken to a local hospital where he died.
- 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.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 9, 200310 injured · $18 million · F3 · 79 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 9, 20031 death · 1 injured · $785,000 · 1.75 in hail · 23 events
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Missouri, May 9 to 10, 20031 injured · $1.5 million · F2 · 22 events
- Heavy Rain in Missouri, May 9, 20031 death · 1 event
- Rip Current in Florida, May 9, 20031 death · 1 event
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Carolina, May 9, 2003$1.6 million · F1 · 12 events
- Flooding in Iowa, May 9 to 28, 2003$2.0 million · 4 events
- Hail and High Wind in Illinois, May 9 to 10, 2003$2.0 million · 1 in hail · 2 events
- Hail and Damaging Wind in West Virginia, May 9, 20031 injured · $500,000 · 80 kt wind · 2 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Virginia, May 9, 2003$100,000 · F1 · 19 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Carolina, May 9, 2003$400,000 · F0 · 12 events
- Flooding in Iowa, May 9 to 14, 2003$155,000 · 31 events
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: 5357402.