Rip Currents in New York, July 25, 2008

Name: Rip Currents in New York, July 25, 2008
Start: 2008-07-25T12:27
End: 2008-07-25T20:00
Location: New York

July 25, 2008 · NWS OKX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A retreating offshore high pressure system and an approaching cold front produced a long south fetch with brisk south winds. Strong rip currents led to the deaths of 4 people.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 4
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 OKX wrote it up.

A retreating offshore high pressure system and an approaching cold front produced a long south fetch with brisk south winds.

Strong rip currents led to the deaths of 4 people. The first male death occurred at Sand Bar Beach in Southampton at 1:27 pm EDT. Two male teenagers playing football in about 5 feet of water were swept out to sea from Long Beach at around 6:30 pm EDT. A 23 year old man drowned from strong rip currents off Jacob Riis Park in Queens around 9:30 pm.

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 New York, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 25, 10:59 AM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 25, 10:59 AM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY
1159 AM EDT FRI JUL 25 2008

.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE MID ATLANTIC TODAY AND REMAINS INTO
SATURDAY. A SURFACE TROUGH DEVELOPS SATURDAY NIGHT AND MOVES EAST
INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FOR MONDAY...AND
CROSS THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT. THE FRONT BECOMES NEARLY STATIONARY
JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA FOR THE START OF THE NEW WEEK...KEEPING
UNSETTLED WEATHER IN THE FORECAST INTO TUESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE
BUILDS TO THE NORTH WEDNESDAY.

&&

.NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
HIGH PRES BUILDING INTO THE AREA WILL BRING MAINLY CLEAR TO PARTLY
CLOUDY SKIES THIS AFTERNOON AS DAYTIME HEATING PRODUCES AFTERNOON
CU. OTHERWISE...WITH SFC DEWPOINTS IN THE 50S TO AROUND 60...
HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL BE LOW ACROSS THE REGION AND TEMPERATURES
WILL WARM WELL INTO THE 80S INLAND AND LOWER 80S ALONG THE
COASTAL SECTIONS.

&&

.SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY/...
DEWPOINTS BEGIN TO CREEP UP TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY AS LOW LEVEL
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW BECOMES ESTABLISHED WITH HIGH OFF THE COAST.
NEXT SHORT WAVE TO ROTATE THROUGH THE LONG WAVE LOW IS
SLOWER...KEEPING THE TROUGH WELL TO THE NORTH AND WEST FOR
SATURDAY. WITH LIMITED INSTABILITY AND NO TRIGGER HAVE REMOVED THE
CHANCES FOR SHOWERS SATURDAY. SURFACE TROUGH DOES DEVELOP LATE IN
THE DAY AND INTO THE NIGHT AS UPPER SHORTWAVE BEGINS TO APPROACH.
WILL HOLD OFF SLIGHT CHANCE POPS UNTIL LATE SATURDAY EVENING.
SURFACE TROUGH PUSHES DEEPER INTO THE AREA FOR SUNDAY AND WILL
HAVE ONLY CHANCE POPS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AS UPPER
SHORTWAVE IS STILL WELL TO THE WEST. WARM AIR MASS IN PLACE AND
HAVE GONE WITH THE WARMER MAV NUMBERS TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY.

&&

.LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/...
FOLLOWED HPC GUIDANCE FOR THE LONG-TERM PERIOD.

UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL MAINLY BE THE RULE FOR MOST OF THE UPCOMING
WEEK AS A SFC COLD FRONT TRACKS EAST THROUGH THE REGION SUN
NIGHT...BECOMING NEARLY STATIONARY AND PARKING ITSELF OFFSHORE.
MEANWHILE...UPPER TROUGH ASSOCIATED WITH CLOSED LOW TRACKING ACROSS
SOUTHEAST CANADA WILL DIG DEEPER INTO THE NORTHEAST US. SEVERAL
WAVES OF LOW PRES WILL DEVELOP AT THE SFC ALONG THE STALLED FRONTAL
BOUNDARY...SLIDING SOUTH AND EAST OF LONG ISLAND. THIS WILL KEEP AT
LEAST THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND TSTMS IN THE FCST FOR MUCH OF THE
UPCOMING WEEK. ECMWF/HPC KEEP A FLATTER AND SLIGHTLY MORE ACTIVE
PATTERN FOR THE LOCAL AREA COMPARED WITH THE OPERATIONAL GFS...SO
LEANED TOWARDS ECMWF/HPC.

&&

.AVIATION /16Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/...
OUTSIDE OF KGON...WHERE WILL SOME MVFR FOG TO START OUT...WILL BE
SKC EXCEPT FOR FEW-SCT AFTERNOON CUMULUS.

WINDS GENERALLY LIGHT AND VARIABLE AND...OUTSIDE OF CITY
TERMINALS WHERE WILL INCREASE TO 6-8KT OUT OF THE WNW...WILL
GENERALLY REMAIN SO UNTIL SEA BREEZE SETS UP BY EARLY TO MID
AFTERNOON...SHOULD INCREASE WINDS AT COASTAL TERMINALS TO AROUND
10 KT AND AT INLAND LOCATIONS PRONE TO SEA BREEZE (ALL BUT KSWF IN
THIS CASE) TO AROUND 7 KT. SHOULD HAVE TYPICAL SEA BREEZE
DIRECTIONS NEAR THE COAST...BUT MORE OF A SW COMPONENT TO SEA
BREEZE INLAND THAN USUAL. WINDS BECOMING LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT ALL
TERMINALS THIS EVENING...BECOMING CALM INLAND OVERNIGHT.

OUTLOOK FOR 12Z SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
VFR THROUGH THE DAY SATURDAY. A LEE TROUGH MEANDERS ACROSS THE
REGION SATURDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY...FOLLOWED BY A COLD FRONT
SLOWLY CROSSING THE TRI-STATE MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT...BOTH
COULD BRING WITH LOCAL MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES IN SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS. VFR EXPECTED TUESDAY.

&&

.MARINE...
SEAS HAVE DROPPED TO AROUND 4 FT AT BUOY 44025...SO WILL GO AHEAD
AND DROP SCA FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS FOR ANZ353. WITH 5 FT SEAS STILL
BEING REPORTED AT 44017...SCA FOR HAZ SEAS REMAINS UP FOR ANZ350.
06Z/25 WAVEWATCH GUIDANCE SHOWING SEAS DROPPING BELOW SCA CRITERIA
BY 05Z SAT...SO WILL END SCA FOR HAZ SEAS AT 05Z SAT FOR ANZ350.

THE SOUTHERLY SWELLS ALSO ARE PRODUCING A MODERATE RISK OF RIP
CURRENTS AT AREA ATLANTIC BEACHES...ESPECIALLY NOTICING REPORTS OF
STRONG TO DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS AT SUFFOLK COUNTY BEACHES
YESTERDAY.

EXPECT WINDS TO BE GENERALLY 10KT OR LESS THROUGH SAT
AFTERNOON...THEN PRESSURE GRADIENT SHOULD INCREASE ENOUGH AHEAD OF
SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT TO INCREASE TO 10-15KT INTO SUN NIGHT.

APPEARS GFS IS TOO STRONG WITH SURFACE LOW AND PRESSURE GRADIENT
WITH FRONT SO HAVE OPTED FOR THE 5-10 KT WIND FLOW ASSOCIATED WITH
ITS PASSAGE MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT PER ECMWF. WINDS THEN CONTINUE AT
10KT OR LESS INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. WITH GFS WINDS SO
OVERDONE...HAD TO SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERCUT WAVEWATCH WITH FRONT...SO
CAPPED SEAS AT 4 FT FOR NOW...CONSISTENT WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 10KT OR
LESS.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
DRY TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SCATTERED ONE QUARTER INCH AMOUNTS OF
RAINFALL POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. THEN ONE QUARTER TO
ONE HALF INCH OF RAINFALL POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. NO
HYDROLOGIC PROBLEMS ARE EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

&&

.EQUIPMENT...
ON JULY 28TH...MARINE OBSERVATIONS FROM AMBROSE LIGHT TOWER WILL
BE DECOMMISSIONED.

&&

.OKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CT...NONE.
NY...NONE.
NJ...NONE.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS UNTIL 1 AM EDT
     SATURDAY FOR ANZ350.

&&

SYNOPSIS...MET
NEAR TERM...MPS
SHORT TERM...MET
LONG TERM...MET
AVIATION...PFM
MARINE...MPS/PFM
HYDROLOGY...MET
EQUIPMENT...

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 25, 3:33 AM EST, 8 hours 54 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY
433 AM EDT FRI JUL 25 2008

NYZ075>077-080-081-261000-
KINGS (BROOKLYN)-QUEENS-NASSAU-SOUTHWESTERN SUFFOLK-
SOUTHEASTERN SUFFOLK-
433 AM EDT FRI JUL 25 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT THE ATLANTIC OCEAN BEACHES
TODAY DUE TO A SOUTHERLY SWELL. PLEASE REFER TO THE SURF ZONE FORECAST
FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME THAT WOULD MEET
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WARNING CRITERIA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

&&

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK PROVIDES A SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL
WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER EVENTS THAT MAY REACH NWS WARNING
CRITERIA. MOST LONG FUSED NWS WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES IN
EFFECT ARE HIGHLIGHTED.

PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST NWS FORECASTS FOR WEATHER NOT MEETING NWS
WARNING CRITERIA.

CTZ005>012-NJZ002>006-011-NYZ067>074-078-079-261000-
NORTHERN FAIRFIELD-NORTHERN NEW HAVEN-NORTHERN MIDDLESEX-
NORTHERN NEW LONDON-SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD-SOUTHERN NEW HAVEN-
SOUTHERN MIDDLESEX-SOUTHERN NEW LONDON-WESTERN PASSAIC-BERGEN-
EASTERN PASSAIC-ESSEX-HUDSON-UNION-ORANGE-PUTNAM-ROCKLAND-
NORTHERN WESTCHESTER-SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER-NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)-BRONX-
RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)-NORTHWESTERN SUFFOLK-NORTHEASTERN SUFFOLK-
433 AM EDT FRI JUL 25 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN
CONNECTICUT...NORTHEASTERN NEW JERSEY AND SOUTHEASTERN NEW YORK.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME THAT WOULD MEET
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WARNING CRITERIA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

&&

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK PROVIDES A SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL
WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER EVENTS THAT MAY REACH NWS WARNING
CRITERIA. MOST LONG FUSED NWS WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES IN
EFFECT ARE HIGHLIGHTED.

PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST NWS FORECASTS FOR WEATHER NOT MEETING NWS
WARNING CRITERIA.

ANZ330-335-338-340-345-350-353-355-261000-
LONG ISLAND SOUND EAST OF NEW HAVEN CT/PORT JEFFERSON NY-
LONG ISLAND SOUND WEST OF NEW HAVEN CT/PORT JEFFERSON NY-
NEW YORK HARBOR-PECONIC AND GARDINERS BAYS-
SOUTH SHORE BAYS FROM JONES INLET THROUGH SHINNECOCK BAY-
MORICHES INLET NY TO MONTAUK POINT NY OUT 20 NM-
FIRE ISLAND INLET NY TO MORICHES INLET NY OUT 20 NM-
SANDY HOOK NJ TO FIRE ISLAND INLET NY OUT 20 NM-
433 AM EDT FRI JUL 25 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ATLANTIC COASTAL
WATERS...LONG ISLAND SOUND...NEW YORK HARBOR...AND THE LONG
ISLAND BAYS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME THAT WOULD MEET
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WARNING CRITERIA.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

&&

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK PROVIDES A SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL
WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER EVENTS THAT MAY REACH NWS WARNING
CRITERIA. MOST LONG FUSED NWS WATCHES...WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES IN
EFFECT ARE HIGHLIGHTED.

PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST NWS FORECASTS FOR WEATHER NOT MEETING NWS
WARNING CRITERIA.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.

Rip Current, Southeast Suffolk

When: July 25, 12:27 PM EST
Where: Southeast Suffolk forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 40.941, -72.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Rip Current, Nassau

When: July 25, 5:30 PM EST
Where: Nassau forecast zone
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Newspaper

Rip Current, Queens

When: July 25, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Queens forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Newspaper

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Rip Current, Southeast Suffolk	2008-07-25	23	Male	In Water	Direct
Rip Current, Nassau	2008-07-25	19	Male	In Water	Direct
Rip Current, Nassau	2008-07-25	19	Male	In Water	Direct
Rip Current, Queens	2008-07-25	23	Male	In Water	Direct

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

Every storm in New York in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in New York, July 2008

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: 140346, 140347, 140349.