Rip Current, Eastern Dare
- When
- September 18, 1:50 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Dare forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- Fire Department/Rescue
A fifty year old man was pulled out to sea by a rip cuurent near Rodanthe and drowned.
Rip Current in North Carolina, September 18, 2009
Strong rip currents resulted in a fatality near Rodanthe during the afternoon of September 18th 2009.
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 MHX wrote it up.
Strong rip currents resulted in a fatality near Rodanthe during the afternoon of September 18th 2009.
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 Newport/Morehead City, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 18, 8:40 AM EST, 5 hours 10 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 18, 8:40 AM EST, 5 hours 10 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC 940 AM EDT FRI SEP 18 2009 .SYNOPSIS... A STATIONARY FRONT WILL REMAIN TO THE SOUTH THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. HIGH PRESSURE ALONG THE VA/NC BORDER WILL DISSIPATE TONIGHT. ANOTHER MUCH STRONGER HIGH WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE MID ATLANTIC STATES THIS TONIGHT AND SATURDAY...THEN OFF THE COAST SUNDAY AND MONDAY. FLOW AROUND THIS HIGH WILL PUSH THE STATIONARY FRONT INLAND MONDAY WHERE IT WILL REMAIN JUST INLAND THROUGH THURSDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. && .NEAR TERM /TIL 6PM FRIDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 1145 AM FRI...LIGHT SHOWERS IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF CWA THIS AM. HAVE PIDDLED WITH THE WEATHER GRIDS TO INDICATE THIS. RADAR SHOWING SHOWERS TO THE SW MOVING TO CWA...SO HAVE PUT SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AM HAVING SOME DRIER AIR MOVING IN SO HAVE KEPT POPS LOW. PREV DISC...AS OF 308 AM FRI...HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN ALONG THE VA/NC BORDER TODAY BUT WILL SLOWLY WEAKEN. BEST LIFT AND DYNAMICS FOR PRECIP WILL BE TO THE SOUTH AND WEST. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW SOME SLIGHT DRYING THIS AFTERNOON. DECIDED TO DISREGARD CHANCE TO LIKELY POPS AND KEEP IT DRY. TRENDED TOWARD SLIGHTLY COOLER 00Z GFS MOS HIGH TEMPS TODAY OVER THE NAM TEMPS DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS. && .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 308 AM FRI...WILL CONTINUE THE DRY TREND THROUGH THE SHORT TERM. THE HIGH OVER VA/NC WILL DISSIPATE TONIGHT. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW A DRYING TREND AS ANOTHER MUCH STRONGER HIGH MOVES SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE NEW ENGLAND/MID ATLANTIC STATES TONIGHT AND OFF THE COAST SUNDAY...WITH A PIECE OF IT EXTENDING DOWN THE EASTERN SEABOARD SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. MODELS SHOW LIFT AND CONVERGENCE ALONG WITH THE BEST MOISTURE REMAINING ALMOST ENTIRELY TO OUR SOUTH AND WEST. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... AS OF 308 AM FRI...BY SUNDAY NIGHT THE HIGH WILL BE OFFSHORE AND MOVING EAST. RESULTANT SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW WILL PUSH THE STATIONARY FRONT TO THE CAROLINA COAST MONDAY WHERE IT WILL STALL JUST INLAND TUESDAY INTO THURSDAY. I PUT IN SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN WATERS SUNDAY NIGHT...AND KEPT THE CHANCE POPS FOR MONDAY ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA. LEFT THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST AS IS WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS EACH DAY AS THE NEXT COLD FRONT APPROACHES MID TO LATE WEEK. && .AVIATION /07Z TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 308 AM FRIDAY...DECK OF MAINLY MID-LEVEL CLOUDINESS ACROSS THE CWA THIS MORNING WITH 11-3.9 MICRON IMAGERY SHOWING SOME PATCHY LOWER STRATUS AROUND 4-5K FEET OVER MAINLY THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN CWA. USED MAINLY A PERSISTENCE APPROACH ON THE TAFS THIS MORNING. LATEST LAMP GUIDANCE AND FCST SOUNDINGS INDICATE A SHORT PERIOD OF IFR CEILINGS THIS MORNING AND PERHAPS SOME PATCHY GROUND FOG WHICH WILL BRIEFLY LIMIT VSBYS. THINK CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE TO MAINLY VFR/MVFR BY MID MORNING. IFR CONDITIONS LIKELY TO RETURN BY LATE TONIGHT. OUTLOOK SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...LIGHT PRECIPITATION THREAT ALONG WITH NIGHTTIME FOG/STRATUS WILL LEAD TO PERIODS OF MVFR/IFR THROUGH THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .MARINE... AS OF 935 AM FRIDAY...1021 MB HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING SOUTH FROM VIRGINIA INTO THE CAROLINAS THIS MORNING. THIS WILL KEEP MODERATE NE FLOW IN PLACE TODAY. BUMPED UP WINDS SLIGHTLY THIS MORNING TO ACCOUNT FOR CURRENT CONDITIONS...GENERALLY NE 10 TO 15 KT FOR THE DAY. SEAS SHOULD CONTINUE TO DIMINISH THIS AFTERNOON AND SCA EXPIRING THIS AFTERNOON NORTH OF LOOKOUT LOOKS GOOD. THE HIGH WEAKENS ON SATURDAY BUT THEN RE STRENGTHENS SUNDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK PER LATEST GFS AND NAM12. SEE A MAINLY NE WIND UNTIL WINDS VEER TO MORE ESE/SE TUES AS HIGH AGAIN STARTS TO BREAK DOWN. SEAS REMAIN ROUGH ESPECIALLY OVER THE WATERS NORTH OF OCRACOKE. THE LOCAL SWAN MODEL AND WAVEWATCH APPEAR A FOOT OR SO UNDERDONE OVER THE NRN WATERS AND HAVE OPTED TO EXTEND THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY A BIT LATER INTO THIS AFTERNOON GIVEN CURRENT OBS OF 7.2 FT/11 SEC AT DIAMOND BUOY AND 6 FT/10 SEC AT DUCK COE PIER. BOTH WAVE MODELS AGREE ON SEAS SUBSIDING BY EVENING...ALTHOUGH MIDDLE LEG MAY REMAIN CLOSE TO SCA RANGE INTO THE WEEKEND. RIP CURRENTS...BASED ON FCST SWELL CONDITIONS OF 4 FT/8 SEC PERIODS AND HIGHER THAN NORMAL ASTRONOMICAL TIDES...KEPT WATERS NORTH OF HATTERAS IN A HIGH THREAT AND HAVE BUMPED UP SOUTHERN WATERS TO MODERATE WHICH ALSO BLENDS WELL WITH ILM FORECAST. && .MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR AMZ150- 152-154-156. && SYNOPSIS...HSA NEAR TERM...CGG SHORT TERM...HSA LONG TERM...HSA AVIATION...CTC MARINE...CTC/CQD
Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 18, 2:30 AM EST, 11 hours 20 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC 330 AM EDT FRI SEP 18 2009 NCZ095-098-104-190900- CARTERET-ONSLOW-OUTER BANKS HYDE- 330 AM EDT FRI SEP 18 2009 ...MODERATE THREAT OF RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NORTH 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 THREAT OF 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. NCZ029-044>047-079>081-090>094-190900- MARTIN-PITT-WASHINGTON-TYRRELL-MAINLAND DARE-GREENE-BEAUFORT- MAINLAND HYDE-DUPLIN-LENOIR-JONES-CRAVEN-PAMLICO- 330 AM EDT FRI SEP 18 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NORTH 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. NCZ103-190900- OUTER BANKS DARE- 330 AM EDT FRI SEP 18 2009 ...HIGH THREAT OF RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING NORTH OF CAPE HATTERAS... ...MODERATE THREAT OF RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING SOUTH OF CAPE HATTERAS... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NORTH 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. HIGH THREAT OF RIP CURRENTS NORTH OF CAPE HATTERAS. MODERATE THREAT OF RIP CURRENTS SOUTH OF CAPE HATTERAS. .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.
Event by event
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
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, Eastern Dare | 2009-09-18 | 50 | 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
- Flash Flooding in Mississippi, September 18, 2009
- Flash Flooding in Tennessee, September 18, 2009
- Lightning Strike in North Carolina, September 18, 2009
- Heavy Rain in Florida, September 18, 2009
- Flash Flooding in Arkansas, September 18, 2009
- Flash Flooding in South Carolina, September 18, 2009
- Flood in Florida, September 18, 2009
- Waterspout in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, September 18, 2009
- Waterspout in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, September 18, 2009
- Waterspout in Gulf of Mexico, September 18, 2009
- Funnel Cloud in Louisiana, September 18, 2009
- Waterspout in Lake Erie, September 18, 2009
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, September 2009
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: 197248.