A rip current was responsible for a Virginia man drowning at Myrtle Beach.
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 ILM wrote it up.
A rip current was responsible for a Virginia man drowning at Myrtle Beach.
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 Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 1:52 PM EST, 1 hour 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 252 PM EDT FRI JUL 31 2009 .SYNOPSIS... SUMMER WARMTH AND HUMIDITY...COUPLED WITH THE AFTERNOON SEA BREEZE AND SEVERAL WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARIES...WILL KEEP A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND INTO MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...IT DOESNT TAKE MUCH OF A TRIGGER TO PRODUCE CONVECTION IN THESE STRONGLY UNSTABLE AIRMASSES WE HAVE HAD THIS WEEK. TODAY IS NO EXCEPTION. A MID-LEVEL DISTURBANCE PUSHING EAST THROUGH EASTERN GA INTO CENTRAL SC HAS SPARKED AN IMPRESSIVE SQUALL LINE THAT SHOULD PLOW THROUGH MOST OF OUR FORECAST AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. STORMS SHOULD REACH FLORENCE AROUND 4 PM...LUMBERTON BEFORE 5 PM...AND THE GRAND STRAND BETWEEN 5-6 PM. AS HAS BEEN TYPICAL ALL THIS WEEK...COOLER TEMPERATURES IN THE MARINE AIRMASS EAST OF THE SEABREEZE WILL LIKELY KILL THE CONVECTION AS IT PUSHES OFFSHORE AND INTO NCS CAPE FEAR REGION. GUSTY...POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS...WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGEST STORMS ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED 2 INCH RAINFALL AMOUNTS AND MINOR FLOODING. POPS RANGE FROM 80-90 PERCENT IN THE PEE DEE REGION...DOWN TO 60 PERCENT IN MYRTLE BEACH...AND 50 PERCENT IN WILMINGTON WHERE IT WOULD MIGHT TAKE A MIRACLE TO GET MORE THAN A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH IN THE RAIN GAUGE. :) THERE WILL BE A LULL IN PRECIPITATION BEHIND THIS EVENINGS SQUALL LINE...BUT FAVORABLE JET DYNAMICS AND THE APPROACH OF A STRONGER VORTICITY MAXIMUM LATE TONIGHT COULD RELOAD THE ATMOSPHERE AND LEAD TO A SECOND ROUND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR THIS IS FROM DARLINGTON AND BENNETTSVILLE INTO LUMBERTON...CLOSER TO THE APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH. THERE MAY ALSO BE A STREAMER OF NOCTURNAL MARINE CONVECTION DEVELOPING IN LONG BAY THAT COULD AFFECT THE CAPE FEAR AREA LATE TONIGHT. MODELS ARE QUITE INCONSISTENT ON THE POTENTIAL FOR THIS MARINE CONVECTION SO WE HAVE NOT UPPED POPS TREMENDOUSLY FOR THIS. LOWS TONIGHT WOULD BE FAIRLY EASY WITHOUT ALL THE CONVECTION TO FORECAST AROUND: MID 70S INLAND AND UPPER 70S AT THE COAST. WE ARE FORECASTING ON THE COOLER EDGE OF MOS GUIDANCE WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT RAIN-COOLED AIR WILL AT LEAST BRIEFLY EXCEED MOS LOWS ON THE DOWNSIDE THIS EVENING. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...SATURDAY TO FEATURE A WEAK FRONTAL REFLECTION OR ENHANCED PIEDMONT TROUGH IN PLACE JUST W OF THE FORECAST AREA...AS A COLD FRONT CURRENTLY CROSSING THE APPALACHIAN SPINE MOVES EAST OVERNIGHT. LOOKS LIKE THIS FRONT WILL DECAY AS IT NEARS THE COAST. THIS IN CONJUNCTION HOWEVER WITH THE SEA BREEZE FRONT AND MODERATE INSTABILITY SHOULD BE ADEQUATE TO SPARK SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...WITH NO LACK OF MID LEVEL MOISTURE AND PWATS OF 2.00-2.25 INCHES. STEERING FLOW FROM THE WEST SATURDAY COULD GUIDE SOME OF THE POTENTIALLY HEAVY RAN MAKERS AND SUSTAINED CELLS RIGHT UP TO THE BEACHES SATURDAY AFTN TO EVENING. A STRONGER SHORT-WAVE IN THE CYCLONIC COLUMN FLOW SUNDAY SHOULD BRING A BETTER CHANCE OF PCPN WITH A VERY MOIST TO NEARLY SATURATED COLUMN IN PLACE. THIS WAVE LOOKS TO CROSS THE EASTERN CAROLINAS BETWEEN 200 PM AND 800 PM SUNDAY. THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVER MAY IMPEDE SEVERE WEATHER DEVELOPMENT SUNDAY...BUT SIGNIFICANT RAINS ARE QUITE POSSIBLE. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...SFC PATTERN REMAINS LARGELY THE SAME THRU THE EXTENDED...WITH BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE AND A PIEDMONT TROF TO MAINTAIN THE WARM AND MUGGY AIRMASS. BASICALLY A PERSISTENCE/CLIMO FORECAST WITH TEMPS JUST ON THE HIGH SIDE OF NORMAL...AND 30 POP BY DAY AND 20 POP BY NIGHT. SOME CHANGES MAY BE AFOOT TOWARD THE END OF THE WEEK...AS THE LAST COUPLE GFS RUNS SHOW THE UPPER TROF FINALLY SHIFTING OFF THE EAST COAST AND AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. REAL QUESTION IS WHETHER THE RESULTING NW FLOW ALOFT CAN PUSH A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT THRU THE CAROLINAS ON FRI. GIVEN THE TIME OF YEAR...AM INCLINED TO BELIEVE THAT WHEN I ACTUALLY SEE IT. && .AVIATION /19Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... TWO MAIN AREAS OF CONVECTION TO CONTEND WITH OVER THE NEXT 6-8 HOURS: ONE IS ALONG THE SEABREEZE BOUNDARY JUST INLAND FROM THE COAST. SHRA/TSRA ALONG THIS BOUNDARY WILL MOVE NE LARGELY MISSING THE MYR/CRE/ILM AIRPORTS. ONE CELL MAY SCRAPE BY ILM BETWEEN 18-19Z BUT OTHERWISE EXPECT CONVECTION TO REMAIN OUTSIDE THE 5 NM BOUNDS OF THE AIRFIELDS. INLAND CONVECTION DEVELOPING IN A SOLID LINE IN WESTERN SC/EASTERN GA WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AND INTO FLO AROUND 22Z...LBT AROUND 23Z. OTHER ACTIVITY MAY DEVELOP IN THE STRONGLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS OUT AHEAD OF THIS LINE. LOOK FOR SHORT-LIVED BUT VERY SIGNIFICANT RESTRICTIONS TO VISIBILITY IN +TSRA. CONVECTION SHOULD DIMINISH AFTER 00Z AS IT MOVES INTO THE SLIGHTLY MORE STABLE MARINE AIRMASS NEAR THE COAST. IF IT HOLDS TOGETHER...CRE/MYR/ILM MAY SEE SOME ACTIVITY IN THE 00-03Z TIME FRAME. OVERNIGHT FAVORABLE UPPER JET DYNAMICS AND AN APPROACHING UPPER TROUGH AXIS MAY DEVELOP ANOTHER ROUND OF CONVECTION...BUT CONFIDENCE IN THIS IS RATHER LOW AT THIS TIME. LOW STRATUS COULD DEVELOP AT LBT/FLO LATE TONIGHT...IFR CEILINGS POSSIBLE JUST BEFORE SUNRISE SATURDAY. EXTENDED OUTLOOK THROUGH TUESDAY...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY AND TUESDAY. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...A STEADY-STATE WEATHER PATTERN HAS DEVELOPED WITH BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE WELL OFFSHORE AND LOWER PRESSURE OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC AND OHIO VALLEY. THIS WILL MAINTAIN THE BREEZY SOUTH-SOUTHWEST FLOW ACROSS THE CAROLINA COASTAL WATERS THROUGH TONIGHT. AN IMPRESSIVE SQUALL LINE HAS DEVELOPED OVER EASTERN GA AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA MIDLANDS. THIS CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY SHOULD REACH THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST BETWEEN 5-6 PM AND WILL LIKELY CONTAIN GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS THAT COULD CREATE HAZARDOUS MARINE CONDITIONS. THE STRENGTH OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DECREASE AS THEY MOVE OFFSHORE AND INTO THE SLIGHTLY COOLER MARINE AIRMASS. THE SEABREEZE HAS ADDED A FEW KNOTS TO THE OVERALL WIND FIELD THIS AFTERNOON...WITH 15-20 KNOTS NOW BEING REPORTED ALONG THE BEACHES. 15-20 KNOT SOUTHWEST WINDS COULD BE DISRUPTED FOR A FEW HOURS THIS EVENING BEHIND THE THUNDERSTORMS BUT SHOULD REORGANIZE LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. SEAS ARE CURRENTLY 3-4 FT...A BUILD TOWARD A SOLID 4 FT AWAY FROM SHORE IS EXPECTED TONIGHT. SHORT TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...PERSISTENT SW FLOW OVER THE WATERS WILL KEEP GENERALLY 3-4 FOOT SEAS IN PLACE MOST AREAS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. NEAR SHORE WATERS IN THE AFTERNOON WILL LIKELY SEE GUSTS IN THE 19-22 KT RANGE WITH DOMINANT PERIODS OF 4-5 SECONDS AND SMALL WHITE CAPPING PLACE AS THE SEA BREEZE PEAKS IN THE MIDDLE AND LATE AFTN. FURTHER OFFSHORE AND CLOSER TO THE STREAM...DOMINANT WAVE PERIODS SHOULD BE SPLIT BETWEEN 8 SECONDS SSE SWELL AND SW TO NE MOVING MODERATE CHOP WITH SIG WAVE HEIGHTS OF 3 TO 5 FEET THROUGH SUNDAY. LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 300 PM FRIDAY...BERMUDA HIGH PRESSURE WILL MAINTAIN A SW FLOW...GENERALLY 10-15 KT BUT AFTERNOON SEABREEZES COULD ENHANCE WINDS ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY A SOLID 15 KT ON ANY DAY. SEAS GENERALLY 2-4 FT THRU THE PERIOD...DOMINATED BY A SHORT-PERIOD SW WIND WAVE. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...TRA SHORT TERM..MJC LONG TERM...RAS AVIATION... MDC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 411 PM EDT FRI JUL 31 2009 AMZ250-252-254-256-012015- SURF CITY TO CAPE FEAR NC OUT 20 NM- CAPE FEAR NC TO LITTLE RIVER INLET SC OUT 20 NM- LITTLE RIVER INLET TO MURRELLS INLET SC OUT 20 NM- MURRELLS INLET TO SOUTH SANTEE RIVER SC OUT 20 NM- 411 PM EDT FRI JUL 31 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...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. NCZ100-SCZ034-012015- BRUNSWICK-HORRY- 411 PM EDT FRI JUL 31 2009 ...MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST DURING THE EVENING HOURS. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE STRONG...WITH ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALSO POSSIBLE. THE GREATEST THREAT WILL BE FROM HIGH WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ087-096-097-099-101-SCZ017-023-024-032-033-039-046-012015- ROBESON-BLADEN-PENDER-COLUMBUS-NEW HANOVER-MARLBORO-DARLINGTON- DILLON-FLORENCE-MARION-WILLIAMSBURG-GEORGETOWN- 411 PM EDT FRI JUL 31 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE NORTHWEST LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE STRONG...WITH ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALSO POSSIBLE. THE GREATEST THREAT WILL BE FROM HIGH WINDS. .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. REK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 344 PM EDT FRI JUL 31 2009 SCZ023-312015- DARLINGTON- 344 PM EDT FRI JUL 31 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ENTERING DARLINGTON COUNTY... AT 343 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CLYDE...OR 8 MILES WEST OF HARTSVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH...AND TORRENTIAL RAINFALL. SMALL TREE LIMBS AND YARD FURNITURE COULD BE BLOWN AROUND BY WINDS OF THIS MAGNITUDE. COMMUNITIES IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE HARTSVILLE... AUBURN...CLYDE...KELLYTOWN...LYDIA...NORTH HARTSVILLE AND OATS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... DO NOT TAKE COVER UNDER TREES...NEAR METAL OBJECTS...OR IN AN OPEN FIELD. && STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/ILM. TRA
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 428 PM EDT FRI JUL 31 2009 SCZ017-312130- MARLBORO- 428 PM EDT FRI JUL 31 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER MARLBORO COUNTY... AT 426 PM EDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE...NEAR SOCIETY HILL...OR 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BENNETTSVILLE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE CAPABILITY OF PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CROSS MARLBORO COUNTY THROUGH 530 PM...MAINLY AFFECTING THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE COUNTY. HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS. RAINFALL IN EXCESS OF AN INCH IN LESS THAN AN HOUR WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON LOW-LYING AND POORLY DRAINED ROADWAYS. COMMUNITIES IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS ARE BENNETTSVILLE... CHAVISTOWN...CLIO...DUNBAR...MCCOLL...WALLACE...BLENHEIM AND TATUM. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT WEATHER.GOV/ILM. RAS
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
After pushing his wife to safety, a Virginia man drowned in a rip current near 70th Avenue North in Myrtle 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, Horry | 2009-07-31 | 50 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in South Carolina in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in South Carolina, 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: 187947.