Strong easterly swells contributed to a rip related death.
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.
Strong easterly swells contributed to a rip related death.
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 May 23, 12:49 PM EST, 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 149 PM EDT SAT MAY 23 2009 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDING FROM THE OUTER BANKS INTO THE NORTH ATLANTIC...COMBINED WITH A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE GULF COAST STATES...WILL BRING ONSHORE WINDS WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF A SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS PATTERN WILL HOLD THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. A WEAK TROF OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING NORTHWARD OUT OF THE BAHAMAS ON MONDAY MAY SKIRT THE EASTERN CAROLINAS LATE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTHWEST ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 10 AM SATURDAY...MOIST ON SHORE FLOW CONTINUES ACROSS THE AREA...BUT THE BEST MOISTURE WILL REMAIN FROM SC SOUTH ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW OVER THE GULF. WINDS WILL VEER AROUND TO THE S-SE IN THE LOW TO MID LEVELS. MOST OF SC ZONES WILL CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE A DEEPER FLOW OF MOISTURE AND WILL THEREFORE HAVE BETTER CHC OF CLOUDS AND SHWRS THROUGH TODAY. QUITE A FEW SHWRS WERE DEVELOPING AND MOVING ON SHORE OVER GEORGETOWN/WILLIAMSBURG COUNTIES THIS MORNING AND EXPECT CU TO DEVELOP AGAIN ACROSS INLAND SECTIONS. BEST CONVERGENCE AND CHC OF SHOWERS WILL BE ALONG SEA BREEZE BOUNDARY IN SC WHERE BETTER MOISTURE IS LOCATED. OVER NC ZONES MOISTURE PROFILES SHOWING NICE DRY LAYER FROM H7 TO H5. OVERALL SOUTHEAST WINDS UP TO 15 KTS SHOULD GIVE A GOOD PUSH TO THE SEA BREEZE TOWARD INLAND SECTIONS IN NC AND THEREFORE EXPECT LESS SHWR ACTIVITY ALONG COASTAL SECTIONS ESPECIALLY IN NC THIS AFTERNOON. ONCE DIURNAL HEATING CUTS OFF SHOWERS SHOULD DIMINISH OVER LAND AREAS. FLOW CONTINUES TO VEER AROUND SLIGHTLY KEEPING A NICE DEEP SOUTHERLY FLOW OF MOISTURE OVER SC AND INLAND NC TONIGHT. COASTAL NC SHOULD REMAIN IN A DRIER SE FLOW WITH NOT MUCH MOISTURE UPSTREAM. THEREFORE WILL CONTINUE WITH LESS POTENTIAL FOR SHWRS OVER NC THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. MIN TEMPS TONIGHT WILL REMAIN IN THE 60S WITH CLOUDS AND HIGHER DEWPOINTS KEEPING TEMPS UP 2 TO 3 DEGREES HIGHER OVER SC AND INLAND ZONES. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 AM SATURDAY...INCREASE IN PRECIPITABLE WATER SUN AND MON AND WEAKENING OF SUBSIDENCE INVERSION WILL LEAD TO INCREASED PRECIP CHANCES BOTH DAYS. WEAKENING UPPER RIDGE WILL ALLOW SOME DIURNALLY DRIVEN STORMS TO DEVELOP BUT THINK SEA BREEZE WILL BE WHERE MOST OF THE ACTIVITY IS FOUND. SLIGHTLY HIGHER PWATS ON SUN AND CLOSER PROXIMITY TO SYSTEM OVER THE SOUTHERN MS VALLEY...AND ITS ASSOCIATED DYNAMICS...WILL LEAD TO SLIGHTLY HIGHER POPS ON SUN VS MON. STILL GOING WITH CHANCE POPS FOR BOTH DAYS ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA. LOW LEVEL SPEED CONVERGENCE WILL AIR NOCTURNAL CONVECTION DEVELOPMENT OVER THE WATERS EACH NIGHT. SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY WILL LIKELY MOVE ONSHORE...WILL CARRY SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE POPS OVERNIGHT. TEMPERATURES WILL RUN NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE CLIMO THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... AS OF 3 AM SATURDAY...WEAKENING UPPER RIDGE OVER THE EAST COAST WILL TRANSITION TO A BROAD TROF FOR WED...LASTING THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD. AT THE SURFACE...GRADUALLY WEAKENING BERMUDA HIGH WILL REMAIN IN CONTROL FOR MUCH OF THE PERIOD. THU INTO FRI A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA...BUT LIKELY REMAIN NORTHWEST OF THE AREA. BIGGEST CHALLENGE REMAINS TUE AND EARLY WED WHEN GFS/NAM MOVE AN ILL-DEFINED SURFACE LOW INTO THE AREA. THIS FEATURE TAKES SHAPE IN THE VICINITY OF CUBA AND/OR THE BAHAMAS AND MOVES NORTH. THE LATEST CANADIAN AND 12Z ECMWF DEPICT THIS FEATURE AS A VERY WEAK TROF/WAVE AND ARE SLOWER TO BRING IT NORTH. THE CANADIAN/EC SOLUTION WOULD RESULT IN THE FEATURE HAVING MORE IMPACT ON FL AND LESS IMPACT ON THE CAROLINAS. REGARDLESS OF IF/WHEN THIS FEATURE IMPACTS THE AREA THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR PRECIP EACH DAY AS MOIST SOUTHEAST FLOW COMBINES WITH 5H TROF AND SHORTWAVES MOVING THROUGH THE UPPER PATTERN. TEMPERATURES WILL RUN NEAR CLIMO BY DAY AND A FEW DEGREES ABOVE CLIMO OVERNIGHT. && .AVIATION /18Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... ISOLATED SHOWERS CONTINUE TO FORM IN LOW LEVEL CLOUD STREETS ACROSS INLAND AREAS THIS AFTERNOON. MORE WIDESPREAD AND PERSISTENT BANDS OF SHOWERS ARE LOCATED JUST SOUTHWEST OF THE FLO TERMINAL. THROUGH MID AFTERNOON THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF TEMPO MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES IN SHOWERS AT FLO/LBT..OTHERWISE VFR AT THE TERMINALS. THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS THE MID-LEVEL STEERING FLOW BECOMES MORE SOUTHERLY...THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTING THE FLO/LBT TERMINALS WILL INCREASE. HAVE INDICATED HEAVY SHOWERS MOVING INTO THE FLO TERMINAL LATE THIS EVENING AND AFTER MIDNIGHT AT LBT. PRECIPITATION SHOULD REMAIN WEST OF THE COASTAL TERMINALS THROUGH THE NIGHT. THIS PRECIPITATION SHOULD LAST MOST OF THE NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING AT FLO/LBT WITH PREDOMINATELY MVFR CONDITIONS. COASTAL TERMINALS SHOULD REMAIN VFR/PRECIPITATION FREE THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING WITH PERIODS OF MID-LEVEL CEILINGS. EXTENDED OUTLOOK THROUGH TUESDAY...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 10 AM SATURDAY...THE PRESSURE PATTERN AND GRADIENT WILL BE GOVERNED BY THE COMBINED EFFECTS FROM THE HIGH CENTERED OFFSHORE FROM NORTH CAROLINA AND THE SOMEWHAT STACKED LOW OVER THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO...THAT WILL SLOWLY MOVE ONSHORE TONIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF MOBILE ALABAMA. THIS WILL PRODUCE SE WINDS AT 10 TO OCCASIONALLY 15 KTS THRU THE PERIOD...EXCEPT 15 TO POSSIBLY 20 KT NEAR SHORE DUE TO THE FORMATION AND INLAND MOVEMENT OF THE SEA BREEZE. SEAS WILL PRIMARILY BE COMPRISED OF A 2 TO 4 FOOT E TO SE SWELL RUNNING AT 8-9 SECONDS. THIS DUE TO THE DECENT FETCH THATS BEEN OCCURRING OFF THE SE U.S. COAST LEADING TO THE ILM COASTAL WATERS FOR A GOOD PORTION OF THIS PAST WEEK. IN ADDITION...SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO PASS OVER THE WATERS...ESPECIALLY SOUTHERN WATERS OVERNIGHT INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. SHORT TERM /SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 3 AM SATURDAY...LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTHEAST FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH SEAS RUNNING 3 TO 5 FT. THERE IS SOME UNCERTAINTY FOR THE MON AND MON NIGHT FORECAST. LATEST GFS/NAM DEVELOP A WEAK SURFACE LOW OFF THE EAST COAST OF FL SUN NIGHT AND TRACK THE FEATURE NORTH AND HAVE IT AFFECTING THE WATERS MON. THE NAM AND GFS ARE IN DISAGREEMENT CONCERNING MOVEMENT OF THIS FEATURE. THE 12Z ECMWF AND THE LATEST CANADIAN HAVE THIS FEATURE AS A BROAD WAVE AND ARE SLOWER TO MOVE IT NORTH. FOR NOW WILL FAVOR THE BETTER CONSENSUS OF THE CANADIAN/12Z ECMWF. LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... AS OF 3 AM SATURDAY...LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTHEASTERLY TO SOUTHERLY FLOW OVER THE WATERS THROUGH THE PERIOD. TROF/WAVE MOVING NORTH FROM CUBA/BAHAMAS AREA WILL IMPACT THE WATERS AT SOME POINT...BUT STILL HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT TIMING AND TRACK OF THIS FEATURE. FOR NOW FAVORING A SOLUTION SIMILAR TO THE 00Z CANADIAN OR THE 12Z ECMWF...A SLOWER MOVING/WEAKER FEATURE THAT HAS MINIMAL IMPACT ON THE SURFACE WIND FIELD LATE IN THE PERIOD. EXTENDED PERIOD OF SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST FETCH WILL PUSH SEAS A LITTLE HIGHER THAN SPEEDS WOULD NORMALLY SUGGEST. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...NONE. NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...RGZ SHORT TERM...III LONG TERM...III AVIATION...MRR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC 548 AM EDT SAT MAY 23 2009 NCZ087-096-099-SCZ017-023-024-032-033-039-241100- ROBESON-BLADEN-COLUMBUS-MARLBORO-DARLINGTON-DILLON-FLORENCE-MARION- WILLIAMSBURG- 548 AM EDT SAT MAY 23 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ097-241100- PENDER- 548 AM EDT SAT MAY 23 2009 ...MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST 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 RISK OF RIP CURRENTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ101-241100- NEW HANOVER- 548 AM EDT SAT MAY 23 2009 ...MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST 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 RISK OF RIP CURRENTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ100-241100- BRUNSWICK- 548 AM EDT SAT MAY 23 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SCZ034-241100- HORRY- 548 AM EDT SAT MAY 23 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. SCZ046-241100- GEORGETOWN- 548 AM EDT SAT MAY 23 2009 ...MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST 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 OF RIP CURRENTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. AMZ250-252-254-256-241100- 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- 548 AM EDT SAT MAY 23 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. 11
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
An east wind and a strong easterly swell caused strong rip currents to occur near Myrtle Beach. A woman swimming near the 68th Avenue North beach access got caught in a rip current and drowned.
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 | 2009-05-23 | 40 | Female | 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, May 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: 171579.