Large long periods swells in combination with astronomical influences from a recent new moon, resulted in numerous rip currents at 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.
Large long periods swells in combination with astronomical influences from a recent new moon, resulted in numerous rip currents at 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 24, 6:06 AM EST, 1 hour 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION..CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 706 AM EDT FRI JUL 24 2009 .SYNOPSIS... A SURFACE TROUGH WILL STALL WEST OF THE AREA TODAY AND WEAKEN THROUGH SATURDAY. ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN PREVAIL THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... A LONG WAVE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL REMAIN WELL ENTRENCHED OVER THE EASTERN U.S. TODAY...WHILE A SURFACE TROUGH BECOMES NEARLY STATIONARY OVER THE SOUTH CAROLINA MIDLANDS AND CENTRAL GEORGIA. THE REGION WILL BE ON THE FRINGE OF THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF THE UPPER LEVEL JET TODAY...WITH SOME WEAK UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE EXPECTED. IN THE LOW AND MID LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE DEEP LAYERED MOISTURE AND SEA BREEZE CONVERGENCE SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. HIGH RESOLUTION MESOSCALE MODELS SUCH AS THE WRF-NMM AND THE NSSL WRF SHOW CONVECTION ALSO IGNITING UPSTREAM ALONG THE TROUGH AND DRIFTING INTO THE FORECAST AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST AND ACROSS MUCH OF COASTAL SOUTHEAST GEORGIA...CONVECTION MAY BE LIMITED TO ISOLATED IN COVERAGE AS THE SEA BREEZE PULLS INLAND AND AS THE UPSTREAM CONVECTION REMAINS FARTHER WEST. MODERATE INSTABILITY AND WEAK SHEAR WILL BE IN PLACE TODAY ACROSS THE AREA AHEAD OF THE SURFACE TROUGH. THIS MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO RESULT IN AN ISOLATED RISK OF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND/OR TO A LESSER EXTENT LARGE HAIL. IN ADDITION...WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES POSSIBLY AS HIGH AS 1.75 TO 2.00 INCHES...THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AT TIMES. THE COMBINATION OF JET INDUCED HIGH LEVEL CIRRUS AND STRATO- CUMULUS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE SEA BREEZE SHOULD RESULT IN MOSTLY CLOUD SKIES INLAND FROM THE COAST THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAY. UNDER THESE MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES...TEMPERATURES SHOULD GENERALLY REACH HIGHS IN THE LOWER 90S...ALTHOUGH IT MAY NEVER EXCEED THE MID OR UPPER 80S AT THE BEACHES. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 AM SATURDAY/... CONVECTION SHOULD PERSIST INTO THE EVENING HOURS...BEFORE GRADUALLY DIMINISHING AS THE BEST LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE SHIFTS OFFSHORE BY THE LATE EVENING/OVERNIGHT HOURS. MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES SHOULD PREVAIL DURING THE EVENING...WITH SOME PARTIAL CLEARING POSSIBLE AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES. LOW TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN THE LOWER 70S...EXCEPT IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT AMONGST THE MEDIUM RANGE MODEL GUIDANCE LEADS TO HIGHER THAN NORMAL FORECAST CONFIDENCE DURING THIS PERIOD. THE FORECAST AREA WILL REMAIN ON THE EAST SIDE OF AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH THROUGH MONDAY BEFORE THE TROUGH SHIFTS FARTHER WESTWARD ALLOWING HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE ATLANTIC TO SHIFT WEST AS WELL. THE SURFACE PATTERN WILL BE DOMINATED BY WEAK INLAND TROUGHING AND GRADUALLY BUILDING ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE. ANTICIPATE A DIURNAL CONVECTIVE PATTERN DRIVEN MAINLY BY SEABREEZE CONVERGENCE AND DAYTIME INSTABILITY OVER THE WEEKEND. THUS...HAVE MAINTAINED RAIN CHANCES AT 20 PERCENT WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE LOWER TO MID 90S AWAY FROM THE IMMEDIATE COAST. ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE AND ALOFT WILL BUILD BACK OVER THE REGION BY EARLY NEXT WEEK. THIS PATTERN WILL SET UP TYPICAL SUMMERTIME CONDITIONS CHARACTERIZED BY A CONTINUATION OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED DIURNAL CONVECTION EACH DAY. BEST CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DURING THE AFTERNOONS AND EARLY EVENINGS WHEN HEATING/SEA BREEZE FORCING ARE MAXIMIZED. HAVE RAIN CHANCES IN THE 30 PERCENT RANGE FOR NOW. TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND WILL BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL...THEN MAY RETURN A BIT CLOSER TO NORMAL MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY DUE TO INCREASED CLOUD COVER. && .AVIATION /12Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT BOTH KCHS AND KSAV THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY. A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE INLAND OF THE TERMINALS AND THE SEA BREEZE COULD BOTH SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA WITH DEEP LAYERED MOISTURE IN PLACE. THE CONVECTION WILL PRIMARILY OCCUR IN THE MID AFTERNOON TO MID EVENING TIME PERIOD...WITH A SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE OF IMPACTING KCHS THAN KSAV. HOWEVER...GIVEN RATHER LIMITED COVERAGE...HAVE OPTED TO JUST LEAVE MENTION OF CB IN THE TAF AT BOTH TERMINALS INSTEAD OF INTRODUCING ANY PRECIPITATION. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL OUTSIDE OF MAINLY DIURNAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. && .MARINE... ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL TODAY...WHILE A WEAK TROUGH PERSISTS INLAND. THIS WILL RESULT IN A SOUTHWEST FLOW ACROSS MOST OF THE WATERS THROUGH THE DAY...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CHARLESTON HARBOR AND ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST WHERE THE SEA BREEZE SHOULD BACK WINDS MORE SOUTHERLY IN THE AFTERNOON. SURGING WINDS EARLY THIS MORNING ARE NOCTURNAL IN NATURE AND TYPICAL FOR THIS SYNOPTIC PATTERN...BUT WILL DIMINISH AS THE MORNING PROGRESSES. WIND SPEEDS BY THE AFTERNOON SHOULD BE IN THE 5-10 KT RANGE FOR MOST OF THE WATERS...BUT THE INFLUENCE OF THE SEA BREEZE COULD PUSH WINDS AS HIGH AS 15 KT IN THE HARBOR THIS AFTERNOON. AS FOR SEAS...A 3-5 FT LONG PERIOD SWELL WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE DAY. THE SWELL AND WIND WAVE HAVE RESULTED IN 6 FT COMBINED SEAS EARLY THIS MORNING OVER THE OUTER GEORGIA WATERS WHERE A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON. AS THE WIND WAVE DIMINISHES THIS AFTERNOON...COMBINED SEAS SHOULD FALL BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVELS. WEAK NOCTURNAL SURGING IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AGAIN TONIGHT...BUT WIND SPEEDS SHOULD GENERALLY BE CAPPED AROUND 15 KT. SEAS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA...AS THE SOUTHEAST SWELL IS EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY SUBSIDE. SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL OVER THE COASTAL WATERS THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD...RESULTING IN A PREDOMINANTLY SOUTH OR SOUTHWEST FLOW. NIGHTTIME LOW LEVEL JETTING CAN BE EXPECTED...HOWEVER WINDS AND SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA THROUGH THE PERIOD. RIP CURRENTS...A 4 FT LONG PERIOD SOUTHEAST SWELL...ONSHORE WINDS AS HIGH AS 15 MPH...AND LINGERING ASTRONOMICAL EFFECTS FROM THE RECENT NOON MOON WILL COMBINE TO RESULT IN ANOTHER MODERATE RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE SOUTHERN SOUTH CAROLINA AND NORTHERN GEORGIA COAST INTO THIS EVENING. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS UNTIL NOON EDT TODAY FOR AMZ374. && JAQ/RJB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 341 AM EDT FRI JUL 24 2009 AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>116-118-137-138-140- SCZ040-042>045-047-251000- 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-JENKINS-SCREVEN-CANDLER-BULLOCH-EFFINGHAM-TATTNALL-EVANS- INLAND BRYAN-INLAND CHATHAM-LONG-INLAND LIBERTY-INLAND MCINTOSH- ALLENDALE-HAMPTON-INLAND COLLETON-DORCHESTER-BERKELEY-INLAND JASPER- 341 AM EDT FRI JUL 24 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .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. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. GAZ117-119-139-141-SCZ048>051-251000- COASTAL BRYAN-COASTAL CHATHAM-COASTAL LIBERTY-COASTAL MCINTOSH- BEAUFORT-COASTAL COLLETON-CHARLESTON-COASTAL JASPER- 341 AM EDT FRI JUL 24 2009 ...MODERATE RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH 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...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. 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.
Tybee Island Ocean Rescue reported at least 60 rip currents were observed and 8 rip current related rescues were necessary throughout the day at the Tybee Island, Georgia beaches.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, July 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: 190290.