Long period swell reaching the beaches along with a persistent onshore flow, resulted in numerous rip currents at the southeast Georgia beaches.
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 episode as NWS CHS wrote it up.
Long period swell reaching the beaches along with a persistent onshore flow, resulted in numerous rip currents at the southeast Georgia beaches.
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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 13, 9:14 AM EST, 2 hours 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1014 AM EDT SUN JUL 13 2008 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE REGION TODAY...HOLDING A SURFACE TROUGH AND LOW PRESSURE SOUTH AND EAST OF AREA. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST MONDAY... LIKELY ADVANCING JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA BEFORE STALLING BY TUESDAY. THE REMNANTS OF THIS FRONT WILL THEN REMAIN OVER OR NEAR THE FORECAST AREA THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... CANCELLED THE DENSE FOG ADVISORY FOR PARTS OF SE GA. THE ONGOING FORECAST APPEARS ON TRACK AND REQUIRED ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS. EXPECT A HOT DAY AWAY FROM THE COAST...WITH 1000-850 MB THICKNESS SUPPORTING HIGHS IN THE MID 90S. A FEW INLAND LOCATIONS COULD PUSH INTO THE UPPER 90S. HOWEVER....DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 60S WILL HOLD HEAT INDICES BELOW ADVISORY LEVELS. ALSO... WITHIN THE LIGHT FLOW REGIME OVER THE REGION...THE SEA BREEZE WILL DEVELOP EARLY AND WILL PUSH INLAND WITHOUT MUCH RESISTANCE THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. REGARDING THE POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTION TODAY...A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE GULF STREAM...FIRING EAST OF AN UPPER LOW NOTED ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY/ALONG THE STALLED REMNANTS OF THE COLD FRONT THAT PASSED THROUGH THE REGION SATURDAY...MAY SPILL BACK INTO THE COASTAL WATERS...MAINLY BEYOND 20 NM. MEANWHILE...A MODIFIED KCHS SOUNDING REVEALED SBCAPES ONLY AROUND 500 J/KG AND SHOWALTER INDICES AROUND 5C TODAY...SUGGESTING THAT SUBSIDENCE/CAPPING WILL INHIBIT DEEP MOIST CONVECTION ALONG THE SEA BREEZE TODAY. JUST WEST OF THE POCKET OF DRY AIR OVER THE REGION...DEEPER MOISTURE SUGGESTS CONDITIONS MORE FAVORABLE FOR THUNDERSTORMS. A FEW OF THESE UPSTREAM THUNDERSTORMS COULD PUSH INTO FAR INLAND COUNTIES...WHERE SBCAPES COULD STILL RECOVER INTO THE 1000-1500 J/KG RANGE DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING...OR ASSOCIATED OUTFLOW COULD ENHANCE CONVERGENCE ALONG THE ADVANCING SEA BREEZE WELL INLAND DURING THAT PERIOD. MAINTAINED THE ONGOING FORECAST OF MAXIMUM POPS LESS THAN 15 PERCENT WITH NO EXPLICIT MENTION OF PRECIPITATION WELL INLAND THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING...AND PLAN TO ADDRESS ISOLATED CONVECTION WITHIN SHORT TERM FORECASTS. HOWEVER...IF JUSTIFIED BY AFTERNOON CONVECTIVE TRENDS...MAY ADD A MENTION OF EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WELL INLAND TO THE AFTERNOON FORECAST PACKAGE. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM MONDAY/... THE AXIS OF A BROAD UPPER TROUGH WILL SHIFT EASTWARD TONIGHT...AS A SURFACE COLD FRONT GRADUALLY DROPS SOUTHEAST INTO THE APPALACHIAN REGION. DEEP LAYER MOISTURE CO-LOCATED WITH THE PREFRONTAL SURFACE TROUGH WILL ALSO INCREASE ACROSS UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA AND INLAND GEORGIA OVERNIGHT. THE PRESENCE OF THE SURFACE TROUGH JUST WEST OF THE FORECAST AREA...AS WELL AS DEEPER MOISTURE AND SHORTWAVE ACTIVITY WITHIN THE UPPER TROUGH...COULD PROVIDE SUFFICIENT FORCING TO ALLOW A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ACROSS FAR INLAND AREAS AFTER MIDNIGHT. HAVE CONTINUED TO INDICATE INCREASING POPS FROM WEST TO EAST MONDAY MORNING...AS THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE WAVE DESCEND INTO THE SOUTHEAST STATES. BOTH GFS AND NAM ARE DEPICTING DECENT SHORTWAVE ENERGY CROSSING THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THESE SYNOPTIC FEATURES...COMBINED WITH TYPICAL DIURNAL INSTABILITY AND SEABREEZE FORCING...WILL ALLOW FOR SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO INITIATE ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA MONDAY AFTERNOON. MAINTAINED POPS IN THE 40 TO 50 PERCENT RANGE DURING THE PEAK HEATING AND INSTABILITY TIME FROM MID AFTERNOON TO EARLY EVENING. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP COULD BECOME STRONG ON MONDAY...WITH ISOLATED PULSE SEVERE STORMS ALSO POSSIBLE. THICK CLOUDS ON MONDAY WILL KEEP HIGH TEMPERATURES AROUND 90 DEGREES AWAY FROM THE COAST. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... LINGERING SHORT WAVE ENERGY AND SPEED MAX ALOFT MONDAY NIGHT...ALONG WITH WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVING INTO THE AREA...WILL ALLOW FOR CONVECTION TO GO FOR AT LEAST A FEW HOURS AFTER DARK. CLOUDS MAY BREAK ENOUGH THROUGHOUT THE OVERNIGHT TO ALLOW FOR PATCHY FOG TO FORM...ESPECIALLY IN LOCATIONS THAT RECEIVED EARLIER RAINS. MIN TEMPS MAINLY DOWN BETWEEN 70 AND 75 DEGREES. THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY LOOKS TO SLIDE TOWARD THE COAST OR EVEN INTO THE NEARBY ATLC ON TUE. WHILE THE BEST SHORT WAVE ENERGY WITH THE MID LEVEL TROUGH IS FOUND OVER THE ATLC WATERS...THE INTERACTION OF THE SEA BREEZE WITH PROXIMITY TO THE FRONT AND PWATS NEAR 2 INCHES WILL RESULT IN SLIGHT CHANCE OR CHANCE POPS MOST LOCATIONS. SBCAPES ARE AS HIGH AS 1500-2000 J/KG...MAINLY NEAR AND ALONG THE SEA BREEZE AS IT PUSHES INLAND /MORE QUICKLY IN SE GA THAN IN SE SC WITH ENE SYNOPTIC FLOW/...AND LIFTED INDICES ARE NEAR -3. WITH BOUNDARY INTERACTIONS THERE CERTAINLY COULD BE A FEW STRONG STORMS...WITH ISOLATED WET MICROBURSTS POSSIBLE. THE ONSHORE FETCH AND CONSIDERABLE MID AND INCREASING/DEVELOPING CLOUDINESS WILL HOLD MAX TEMPS DOWN IN THE UPPER 80S TO NEAR 90...BUT MID 80S NEAR THE COAST. FROM THE PERIOD WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...THE LINGERING FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN OVER OR NEAR THE CWFA...AS HIGH PRES IS FOUND TO THE N...CENTERED NEAR THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS. WITH MID LEVEL TROUGH PERSISTING...CONSIDERABLE MOISTURE AND WEAK TO MODERATE INSTABILITY...POPS WILL BE HIGHER THAN WHAT IS TYPICAL THIS TIME OF YEAR. WE WILL PLAN ON AT LEAST SCATTERED CONVECTION TO OCCUR DURING EACH DAY...LIKELY LASTING LONGER THAN USUAL AFTER DARK WITH BOUNDARY NEARBY. WILL PLAN ON HIGHEST POPS OVER SRN AND ERN AREAS...WITH LESS CHANCES TO THE NW /WHERE WE MAY ONLY CARRY SLIGHT CHANCE POPS AT TIMES THROUGH THE WEEK AS MOISTURE IS LESS ACROSS THOSE AREAS. WITH VARIOUS OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES AND POSSIBLE SEA BREEZE INTERACTIONS...THERE EXISTS A RISK OF ISOLATED STRONG OR EVEN SEVERE T-STORMS THROUGHOUT THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK. DAYTIME MAX TEMPS WILL BE NEAR OR A BIT BELOW NORMAL IS SOME LOCATIONS DUE TO CLOUD COVER...HIGHER THAN NORMAL POPS AND SYNOPTIC ONSHORE FLOW. && .AVIATION /14Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TODAY. KEPT ANY MENTION OF CB OUT OF BOTH TAFS DUE TO DRY AIR ALOFT AND A CAPPED ENVIRONMENT...YET EXPECT FEW TO SCATTERED CUMULUS DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE SEABREEZE EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. WINDS WILL REMAIN MAINLY SOUTHERLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY INTO THIS EVENING WITH KSAV GOING CALM AFTER 08Z. FOG POTENTIAL NOT AS PRONOUNCED FOR MONDAY MORNING DUE TO CROSS OVER TEMPERATURES NOT AS LIKELY TO BE MATCHED AND NO PRECIP EXPECTED FOR SUNDAY. YET INCLUDED MVFR VISIBILITIES FOR KSAV WHILE KEEPING KCHS VFR WITH 06SM. THIS WILL BE REEVALUATED AT THE NEXT TAF PERIOD. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...SMALL CHANCE OF OCNL MVFR CONDITIONS IN FOG LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY MONDAY...OTHERWISE A BETTER CHANCE OF OCNL MVFR WEATHER IN MAINLY DIURNAL CONVECTION THROUGH THE WEEK. && .MARINE... WEAK PRESSURE GRADIENT ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS WILL PROMOTE EARLY SEABREEZE DEVELOPMENT..WITH SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KT COMMON THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. WAVE WATCH CONTINUES TO UNDER REPRESENT THE SWELLS PRODUCED BY DISTANT TROPICAL CYCLONE BERTHA. LATEST MARINE OBSERVATIONS INDICATE 3 TO 4 FT SWELLS ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS WITH PERIODS 12 TO 14 SECONDS. HAVE THEREFORE CONTINUED TO FORECAST SEAS ABOVE GUIDANCE VALUES. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST ON MONDAY. WINDS MAY BECOME BRIEFLY SOUTHWEST MONDAY MORNING...BEFORE SEABREEZE EFFECTS BACK WIND DIRECTIONS TO THE SOUTH MONDAY AFTERNOON. THE WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL PUSH INTO THE COASTAL WATERS MON NIGHT AND TUE...AND WILL LINGER OVER OR NEARBY THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK. MEANWHILE...HIGH PRES OVER THE NE QUARTER OF THE NATION WILL PERSIST N OF THE BOUNDARY FOR SEVERAL DAYS. WINDS AND SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA THROUGH THE PERIOD. WINDS THROUGH THE MIDDLE AND LATER PART OF THE WEEK WILL BE MOSTLY E OR NE...WITH SPEEDS GENERALLY NO MORE THAN 10-15 KT. HOWEVER...OCNL PINCHING OF THE PRES GRADIENT IS POSSIBLE BETWEEN THE FRONT AND THE HIGH TO THE N. THAT ALONG WITH LOCAL SEA BREEZE CIRCULATIONS MAY RESULT IN BRIEF PERIODS OF SLIGHTLY HIGHER WINDS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. MEANWHILE...SLOW MOVING TROPICAL CYCLONE BERTHA WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SWELLS AROUND 3 FT IN THE LOCAL WATERS FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THAT ALONG A WIND WAVE AROUND 1 TO 2 FT ON TOP...WILL GENERATE SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHTS UP TO AROUND 4 FT MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH AT LEAST MID WEEK. RIP CURRENTS...LONG PERIOD SWELLS UP TO 3 FT NEARSHORE...AS WELL AS ONSHORE FLOW...WILL MAINTAIN A MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS TODAY. COULD STILL BE LOOKING AT AN ENHANCED RISK OF RIP CURRENTS FOR SEVERAL DAYS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. MODEST ONSHORE WINDS WILL PREVAIL EACH AFTERNOON...AND AT LEAST SMALL SWELLS FROM SLOW MOVING BERTHA MAY CONTINUE. IN ADDITION...WE WILL START TO EXPERIENCE SOME ASTRONOMICAL INFLUENCES WITH THE FULL MOON EARLY FRIDAY. THEREFORE...WE WILL MENTION AN ENHANCED RISK IN THE HWO THROUGH THE WEEK. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 1021 AM EDT SUN JUL 13 2008 GAZ117-119-139-141-SCZ048>051-141000- COASTAL BRYAN-COASTAL CHATHAM-COASTAL LIBERTY-COASTAL MCINTOSH- BEAUFORT-COASTAL COLLETON-CHARLESTON-COASTAL JASPER- 1021 AM EDT SUN JUL 13 2008 ...MODERATE RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. MODERATE RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. RIP CURRENTS...THE COMBINATION OF SMALL SWELL AND MODERATE ONSHORE WINDS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO ENHANCE THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT AREA BEACHES THROUGH AT LEAST MID WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. GAZ087-088-099>101-114>116-118-137-138-140-SCZ040-042>045-047-141000- JENKINS-SCREVEN-CANDLER-BULLOCH-EFFINGHAM-TATTNALL-EVANS- INLAND BRYAN-INLAND CHATHAM-LONG-INLAND LIBERTY-INLAND MCINTOSH- ALLENDALE-HAMPTON-INLAND COLLETON-DORCHESTER-BERKELEY-INLAND JASPER- 1021 AM EDT SUN JUL 13 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...A VERY MOIST AND SLIGHTLY UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE REGION ON MONDAY. AS A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH MOVES INTO THE AREA...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THROUGH THE DAY. AS THE SEA BREEZE MOVES INLAND...IT WILL INTERACT WITH THE TROUGH AND OTHER THUNDERSTORM OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES. AS A RESULT...A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG OR EVEN SEVERE. THE MAIN WEATHER HAZARDS ARE STRONG WINDS...HEAVY RAINS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES. HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE IN A FEW STORMS. THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR STRONG OR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND MAINLY NEAR AND WEST OF I-95. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. AMZ330-350-352-354-374-141000- CHARLESTON HARBOR- WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE RIVER TO EDISTO BEACH SC OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM EDISTO BEACH SC TO SAVANNAH GA OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA OUT 20 NM...INCLUDING GRAYS REEF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM- 1021 AM EDT SUN JUL 13 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
The Tybee Island Fire Department reported numerous rip currents at the beaches on Tybee Island, Georgia resulting in at least 20 rescues.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, July 2008
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: 123897.