Rip Current, Atlantic
- When
- September 3, 7:00 AM EST to September 7, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Atlantic County, Brigantine
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.469, -74.634 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Rip Currents in New Jersey, September 3 to 7, 2004
The combination of swells from Hurricane Frances and a high pressure system that built into New England and the Canadian Maritimes caused rip currents to occur throughout the Labor Day weekend. Bathing restrictions were in place throughout the weekend and water rescues were performed.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- 4
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 PHI wrote it up.
The combination of swells from Hurricane Frances and a high pressure system that built into New England and the Canadian Maritimes caused rip currents to occur throughout the Labor Day weekend. Bathing restrictions were in place throughout the weekend and water rescues were performed. No deaths were reported.
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 Philadelphia/Mount Holly wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 3, 2:15 AM EST, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 3, 2:15 AM EST, 4 hours 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 315 AM EDT FRI SEP 3 2004 .SHORT TERM UPDATE (TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY)... HIGH PRESSURE RULES. AS THE HIGH SETTLES OFF THE NEW ENGLAND COAST AN EASTERLY FLOW OFF THE ATLANTIC WILL BRING AN INCREASE IN HUMIDITY. && .LONG TERM (SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY)... HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE EASTWARD OFF THE COAST BY THE WEEKEND WHILE ANOTHER HIGH MOVES SOUTHWARD FROM CANADA. EXPECT WEEKEND TO REMAIN DRY AT THIS TIME. THE MAJOR FORECAST CHALLENGE STILL IS HURRICANE FRANCES AND WHERE WHATS LEFT OF IT GOES TOWARD THE END OF THE PERIOD AND HOW ITS PATH AFFECTS THE REGION. HAVE KEPT RAIN CHANCES FOR TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY DUE TO ALL THE UNCERTAINTY. THESE FORECASTS CONTINUE TO BE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE TACK AND TIMING OF HURRICANE FRANCES AND HAVE MADE JUST SOME SMALL CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST. && .MARINE... SEAS OVER 5 FEET AT BUOY 009, BUT WITH 13 SEC PERIOD, SO WILL KEEP SCA GOING FOR THE OCEAN. THESE SWELLS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE UNTIL FRANCES MAKES LANDFALL LATER IN THE WEEKEND. GRADIENT BETWEEN HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH AND FRANCES TO THE SOUTH WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE AN EASTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE FORECAST WATERS THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEKEND. SWELLS WILL ALSO KEEP THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IN THE MODERATE TO HIGH RANGE THROUGH AT LEAST SAT. && AVIATION... CLR SKIES ACROSS THE FORECAST EARLY THIS MORNING. SOME MINOR POCKETS OF LIGHT FOG WERE EVIDENT AROUND THE FORECAST OFFICE THIS MORNING...SO A TEMPO GROUP FOR BR WAS ADDED TO THE TAFS AT 06Z. CURRENT OBS INDICATE NO VSBY RESTRICTIONS HAVE YET DEVELOPED. IF ANY FOG DOES FORM...IT IS EXPECTED TO LIGHT AND PATCHY. BASICALLY CLR SKIES TODAY WITH A FEW CIRRUS WITH A SE FLOW...THEN CLEAR SKIES AGAIN TONIGHT WITH LIGHT WINDS. && .PHI WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PA...NONE. NJ...NONE. MD...NONE. DE...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT FOR SEAS ANZ0450-0455. && SHORT TERM/LONG TERM...ZEV AVIATION/MARINE...JM
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 3, 5:20 AM EST, 1 hour 40 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOUNT HOLLY NJ 620 AM EDT FRI SEP 3 2004 DEZ001>004-MDZ008-012-015-019-020-NJZ001-007>010-012>027-PAZ054-055- 060>062-067>071-040818- ATLANTIC NJ-ATLANTIC COASTAL CAPE MAY NJ-BERKS PA-BUCKS PA-CAMDEN NJ- CAPE MAY NJ-CARBON PA-CAROLINE MD-CECIL MD-CHESTER PA- COASTAL ATLANTIC NJ-COASTAL OCEAN NJ-CUMBERLAND NJ-DELAWARE PA- DELAWARE BEACHES DE-EASTERN MONMOUTH NJ-GLOUCESTER NJ-HUNTERDON NJ- INLAND SUSSEX DE-KENT MD-KENT DE-LEHIGH PA-MERCER NJ-MIDDLESEX NJ- MONROE PA-MONTGOMERY PA-MORRIS NJ-NEW CASTLE DE-NORTHAMPTON PA- NORTHWESTERN BURLINGTON NJ-OCEAN NJ-PHILADELPHIA PA-QUEEN ANNES MD- SALEM NJ-SOMERSET NJ-SOUTHEASTERN BURLINGTON NJ-SUSSEX NJ-TALBOT MD- WARREN NJ-WESTERN MONMOUTH NJ- 620 AM EDT FRI SEP 3 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA...DELAWARE...THE NORTHERN MARYLAND EASTERN SHORE...AND NEW JERSEY EXCLUDING THE FIVE NORTHEAST COUNTIES. .DAY ONE...TODAY THERE IS A HIGH RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS TODAY. OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. WN
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
Rip Current, Cape May
- When
- September 3, 7:00 AM EST to September 7, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Cape May County, Ocean City
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.085, -74.850 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Rip Current, Monmouth
- When
- September 3, 7:00 AM EST to September 7, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Monmouth County, Highland Beach
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.288, -74.158 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Rip Current, Ocean
- When
- September 3, 7:00 AM EST to September 7, 7:00 AM EST
- Where
- Ocean County, Pt Pleasant
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.866, -74.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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
- Wildfire in California, September 3 to 4, 2004
- Flash Flooding in Indiana, September 3, 2004
- Wildfire in Oregon, September 3 to 4, 2004
- Damaging Winds and Heavy Rain in Arizona, September 3, 2004
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, September 3 to 4, 2004
- Flash Flooding in Indiana, September 3 to 4, 2004
- Rip Current in Delaware, September 3 to 7, 2004
- Waterspout in North Atlantic Coastal Waters, September 3, 2004
- Wildfire in California, September 3, 2004
- Wildfire in Colorado, September 3 to 4, 2004
- Hail in Michigan, September 3, 2004
- Waterspout in Hawaiian Waters, September 3, 2004
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, September 2004
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: 5422260, 5422261, 5422262, 5422263.