Rip currents claimed the lives of two men at Panama City Beach on the afternoon of October 5th. There was a high risk for rip currents and double red flags were posted by beach officials.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 episode as NWS TAE wrote it up.
Rip currents claimed the lives of two men at Panama City Beach on the afternoon of October 5th. There was a high risk for rip currents and double red flags were posted by beach officials.
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 Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 5, 2:08 PM EST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 308 PM EDT MON OCT 5 2009 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT-WEDNESDAY NIGHT)... SURFACE LOW AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY CURRENTLY OVER THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS EAST AND TOWARD THE GA/SC COAST THIS EVENING AS A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY LAYS OUT FROM EAST TO WEST OVER THE LOCAL AREA. RAIN CHANCES WILL REMAIN UP ALONG AND OUT AHEAD OF THIS BOUNDARY...MAINLY AROUND THE PANHANDLE/BIG BEND COAST AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THE MODELS APPEAR TO BE IN DECENT AGREEMENT AND INDICATE THE WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINING IN THE VICINITY OF THE FORECAST AREA AS THE RIDGE AXIS REMAINS TO THE SOUTH ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF. THIS WILL KEEP THE MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW OFF THE GULF IN PLACE...WHICH SHOULD LEAD TO ANOTHER ROUND OF SCATTERED SHOWERS THROUGH THE DAY TUESDAY. ON WEDNESDAY...A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST AND WILL LEAD TO INCREASING RAIN CHANCES WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MAINLY OVER THE NORTHWESTERN HALF OF THE CWA. .LONG TERM (THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY)... THE FORECAST REMAINS SOMEWHAT COMPLEX AGAIN THIS MORNING...WITH THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE AXIS TO THE SOUTH AND A VIGOROUS SUBTROPICAL JET STREAM JUST TO THE NORTH. WHILE SOME DIFFERENCES REMAIN BETWEEN THE EURO AND GFS WITH RESPECT TO THE LOCATION OF THE JET AXIS AND ASSOCIATED WEATHER... THERE IS GENERAL AGREEMENT ON THE OVERALL EVOLUTION OF THE PATTERN AS AN UPPER LOW OVER THE SOUTHWEST U.S. IS EJECTED EASTWARD BY THE END OF THE WEEK...SUPPRESSING THE RIDGE SOUTHWARD...AND PUSHING A COLD FRONT TOWARD THE TRI-STATE AREA OVER THE WEEKEND. BY MONDAY THE FRONT SHOULD BE SOMEWHERE ACROSS OR JUST SOUTH OF THE AREA...BUT AM NOT CONVINCED YET THAT IT WILL BE A CLEAN FRONTAL PASSAGE SIGNIFICANT SURGE OF COOLER DRIER AIR ACROSS THE AREA. THUS WILL GO WITH A COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE GFS AND THE EURO. TEMPS WILL REMAIN ABOVE CLIMO THROUGH THE PERIOD AND WILL SHOW POPS IN THE FORECAST THROUGH THE PERIOD AS WELL. && .MARINE...LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MID-WEEK PERIOD AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE LOCAL AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST THROUGH THE DAY WEDNESDAY. AS THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY APPROACHES AND MOVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE WATERS EXPECT THE WINDS TO SHIFT AROUND TOWARD THE NORTHWEST WEDNESDAY EVENING AND THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...THEN TO THE EAST THROUGH THE DAY THURSDAY. WINDS AND SEAS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW CAUTIONARY LEVELS THROUGH THIS PERIOD. && .AVIATION...A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO QUICKLY MOVE EAST THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE NORTH FLORIDA BIG BEND AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. ELSEWHERE SCATTERED SHOWER ACTIVITY IS DEVELOPING AND MOVING EASTWARD AS WELL. FOR THE NIGHT TONIGHT...EXPECT IFR CONDITIONS AT ALL FLORIDA STATIONS DUE TO LOW CIGS AND VSBYS. FOR OUR ALABAMA AND GEORGIA STATIONS EXPECT LIFR CONDITIONS AS THE COMBINATION OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE DROPS CIGS AND VSBYS THROUGH THE NIGHT INTO THE MORNING HOURS. BY TOMORROW...EXPECT TO BREAK OUT OF THE CLOUDS BY THE AFTERNOON MAKING WAY FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. && .FIRE WEATHER...AS ONE FRONT MOVES THROUGH AND ANOTHER FRONT APPROACHES...SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE AMPLE MOISTURE ACROSS OUR FLORIDA...GEORGIA AND ALABAMA ZONES. DUE TO THE HIGH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...NO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEK. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TALLAHASSEE 71 89 72 89 67 / 40 30 20 30 20 PANAMA CITY 74 87 75 88 70 / 40 30 20 30 20 DOTHAN 64 84 70 85 59 / 20 30 20 40 30 ALBANY 62 80 67 86 59 / 20 30 20 40 30 VALDOSTA 66 86 70 88 63 / 40 30 20 30 20 CROSS CITY 72 89 72 89 70 / 50 50 20 20 20 APALACHICOLA 75 88 76 88 71 / 50 40 20 20 20 && .TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. GA...NONE. FL...NONE. GM...NONE. && GIBBS/CAMP/DUVAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 442 AM EDT MON OCT 5 2009 ALZ065>069-FLZ007>019-026>029-034-GAZ120>131-142>148-155>161- GMZ730-750-755-765-770-775-060845- COFFEE-DALE-HENRY-GENEVA-HOUSTON-INLAND WALTON-COASTAL WALTON- HOLMES-WASHINGTON-JACKSON-BAY-CALHOUN-GULF-FRANKLIN-GADSDEN-LEON- JEFFERSON-MADISON-LIBERTY-WAKULLA-TAYLOR-LAFAYETTE-DIXIE-QUITMAN- CLAY-RANDOLPH-TERRELL-DOUGHERTY-LEE-WORTH-TURNER-TIFT-BEN HILL- IRWIN-EARLY-MILLER-BAKER-MITCHELL-COLQUITT-COOK-BERRIEN-SEMINOLE- DECATUR-GRADY-THOMAS-BROOKS-LOWNDES-LANIER- APALACHEE BAY OR COASTAL WATERS FROM KEATON BEACH TO OCHLOCKONEE RIVER FL OUT TO 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM APALACHICOLA TO DESTIN FL OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM OCHLOCKONEE RIVER TO APALACHICOLA FL OUT TO 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM SUWANNEE RIVER TO KEATON BEACH OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM APALACHICOLA TO DESTIN FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM SUWANNEE RIVER TO APALACHICOLA FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM- 442 AM EDT MON OCT 5 2009 /342 AM CDT MON OCT 5 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA... SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PANHANDLE...AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... A LOW PRESSURE CENTER WILL MOVE EAST ALONG A WARM FRONTAL BOUNDARY ALIGNED WEST TO EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN ALABAMA AND GEORGIA. AIDED BY AN UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE...NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST TO DEVELOP NEAR THIS BOUNDARY. THE FOCUS WILL BE WEST OF THE APALACHICOLA RIVER AND NEAR THE COAST AND INTO THE ADJACENT WATERS. WHILE THE OVERALL THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW...THERE IS AN OUTSIDE CHANCE THAT A SEVERE STORMS WILL DEVELOP ESPECIALLY OVER THE WATERS AND ADJACENT COAST. AN ISOLATED TORNADO COULD ALSO SPIN UP IN THE VICINITY OF A WARM FRONT AS IT LIFTS NORTHWARD THIS MORNING. THE BEST CHANCE FOR THIS TO OCCUR WOULD BE ALONG PANHANDLE COASTAL AREAS WEST OF PANAMA CITY. RAINFALL RATES ARE GENERALLY EXPECTED TO BE LOW ENOUGH TO PREVENT FLOODING. HOWEVER...PONDING OF WATER IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER PORTIONS OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA. LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST TO THE GEORGIA COAST BY TONIGHT WITH DRIER AIR BUILDING IN ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST. EXPECT AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG TO DEVELOP. A TIGHTENING SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT HAS INCREASED WINDS OVER THE MARINE AREA AND MARINERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO EXERCISE CAUTION THIS MORNING...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE OFFSHORE WESTERN WATERS. THERE IS A MODERATE TO HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS TODAY...ESPECIALLY THIS MORNING. THE HIGH RISK WILL OCCUR ACROSS WESTERN BAY AND WALTON COUNTIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...WARM ONSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST INTO MID WEEK. THE NEXT IN A SERIES OF COLD FRONT DROPS SOUTHEAST INTO THE LOCAL AREA ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE RETREATING NORTHEAST AS A WARM FRONT. THE LAST IN THIS SERIES OF COLD FRONTS WILL MOVE SLOWLY ACROSS THE AREA ON SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV...THEN CLICK ON YOUR AREA OF INTEREST ON THE NATIONAL MAP. BLOCK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
A man drowned while swimming in rough surf at Panama City Beach.
A man drowned while swimming in rough surf at Panama City Beach.
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, Bay | 2009-10-05 | 46 | Male | In Water | Direct |
| Rip Current, Bay | 2009-10-05 | 43 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, October 2009
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: 199839, 199843.