Strong southerly onshore winds produce deadly rip currents at the beaches of Alabama over the weekend.
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 MOB wrote it up.
Strong southerly onshore winds produce deadly rip currents at the beaches of Alabama over the weekend.
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 Mobile, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 1, 2:24 PM CST, 36 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 324 PM CDT SUN MAY 1 2011 .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT)SURFACE COLD FRONT FROM NORTHEAST TEXAS INTO SOUTHERN INDIANA WILL MOVE LITTLE THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS. THE H5 TROUGH THAT WILL EVENTUALLY PUSH THE FRONT ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA ON TUESDAY WAS BEING HELD UP BY AN UPPER HIGH OVER THE GULF. AS THE HIGH MOVES OFF TO THE NORTHEAST AND WEAKENS OVER THE NEXT DAY OR SO THE TROUGH ENERGY WILL TRANSLATE NORTHEAST AS A CLOSED SYSTEM DEVELOPS OVER THE EASTERN GREAT LAKES. A WARM AND DRY MID-LEVEL AIR MASS OVER THE AREA SHOULD KEEP MOST PRECIPITATION FROM DEVELOPING BUT MAY SEE SOME ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHWEST ZONES MONDAY MORNING AS ANY OUTFLOW FROM TODAYS STORMS DRIFTS SOUTHEAST. POSSIBILITY OF A FEW SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS OVER COASTAL AREAS WEST OF PNS AND SOUTHERN SECTIONS OF INTERIOR SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI MONDAY AFTERNOON WITH BETTER LOW LEVEL MOISTURE RETURN AND A WEAKENING CAP. CHANCES INCREASE OVERNIGHT FROM THE WEST ON MONDAY NIGHT AS FRONT SLOWLY APPROACHES. BEST CHANCE WILL BE DURING THE DAY TUESDAY AS FRONT MOVES ACROSS INTERSTATE 65 BETWEEN NOON AND 2 PM. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM RISK APPEARS TO BE MINIMAL AT THIS WITH THE FEW THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP EXPECTED TO BE ELEVATED. WARMEST DAY OF THE NEXT THREE WILL BE MONDAY WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 80S TO UPPER 80S INTERIOR NORTHEAST ZONES. ENOUGH CLOUDS AND SHOWERS AROUND TO KEEP HIGHS ON TUESDAY MOSTLY UNDER 80 DEGREES. WEDNESDAY MORNING LOWS MOSTLY IN THE 40S WITH A FEW LOWER 50S ALONG THE COAST. /11 .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY)MADE NO CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED...PREVIOUS SHIFT HAD DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH SATURDAY WITH A GRADUAL WARMING TREND. SATURDAY AFTERNOON WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY A RETURN FLOW OFF THE GULF OF MEXICO. EXPECT MID- LEVEL CAPPING TO PREVENT ANY PRECIPITATION DEVELOPMENT AT THIS TIME. SUNDAY WILL BE SIMILAR BUT COULD SEE SOME SHOWERS OFF TO THE WEST AS YET ANOTHER SYSTEM EVOLVES AND LIFTS OUT OF THE SRN PLAINS. /11 && .MARINE...SFC HIGH PRES SYSTEM IN PLACE FM THE MID ATLC INTO THE SE THRU MON BEGINS TO BREAK DOWN ALLOWING A FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO SINK SE ACRS THE LWR MS RVR DELTA AND INTO THE DEEP S ON TUE. AS THE FRONT APPROACHES AND TAPS GULF MOISTURE...CHC'S OF SHWRS AND A FEW TSTMS ARE FCST BEGINNING LATE MON AND CONTINUE INTO TUE. GUIDANCE CONSISTENT WITH BRINGING FRONTAL PASSAGE...ASSOCIATED WIND SHIFT TUE AFTN WITH AN INCR IN NRLY FLOW AND A BUILD IN SEAS TUE AND WED. WINDS DECR/SEAS SUBSIDE TO CLOSE OUT THE WEEK AS HIGH PRES MOVES E OVR THE DEEP S. /10 && .AVIATION [18Z TAF ISSUANCE]...SFC HIGH PRES FROM THE MID ATLC INTO THE SE IS ALLOWING FOR MVFR CU OF LOW VERTICAL EXTENT => BASES 2.5-3.5 KFT TO FORM IN S/SE FLOW. THIS IS FCST TO PERSIST IN THE NEAR TERM. LATEST FCSTS OF MOISTURE PROFILES INDICATE CIG BASES WILL LOWER OVERNIGHT TO IFR LVLS AFT 06Z WITH LGT SE WINDS 6-10 KTS. SOME PATCHY BR TO MVFR LVLS PSBL BY 12Z. CIG BASES LIFT TO MVFR LVLS BY MID/LATE AM MON. /10 && .FIRE WEATHER...SURFACE HUMIDITY HAS INCREASED TODAY AS THE SOUTHEAST WINDS BEGIN TO HAVE AN EFFECT. HUMIDITY WILL REMAIN ABOVE 45 PERCENT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT CROSSES THE AREA ON TUESDAY. SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY ON TUESDAY WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR A SIGNIFICANT WETTING RAIN OVER THE NORTHERN AREAS OF THE FORECAST AREA. DRY AGAIN MID WEEK WITH LOWEST HUMIDITY BELOW 30 PERCENT WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY UNDER A NORTHERLY WIND WEDNESDAY THAT TURNS MORE EASTERLY BY THURSDAY. /11 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MOBILE 69 85 67 76 / 05 20 30 60 PENSACOLA 69 82 70 80 / 05 10 20 40 DESTIN 71 80 69 77 / 05 10 05 40 EVERGREEN 62 88 64 76 / 10 10 20 50 WAYNESBORO 65 85 65 69 / 10 30 20 60 CAMDEN 63 87 65 75 / 10 10 20 60 CRESTVIEW 60 88 64 81 / 05 10 05 40 && .MOB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. FL...NONE. MS...NONE. GM...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 918 AM CDT SUN MAY 1 2011 ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-GMZ630-650-655-670-675-MSZ067-075-076-078- 079-021200- CHOCTAW-WASHINGTON-CLARKE-WILCOX-MONROE-CONECUH-BUTLER-CRENSHAW- ESCAMBIA-COVINGTON-UPPER MOBILE-UPPER BALDWIN-LOWER MOBILE- LOWER BALDWIN-INLAND ESCAMBIA-COASTAL ESCAMBIA-INLAND SANTA ROSA- COASTAL SANTA ROSA-INLAND OKALOOSA-COASTAL OKALOOSA-MOBILE BAY- COASTAL WATERS FROM PENSACOLA FL TO PASCAGOULA MS OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM DESTIN TO PENSACOLA FL OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM PENSACOLA FL TO PASCAGOULA MS FROM 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM DESTIN TO PENSACOLA FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM-WAYNE-PERRY- GREENE-STONE-GEORGE- 918 AM CDT SUN MAY 1 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF INTERIOR SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...THE WESTERN FLORIDA PANHANDLE...AND THE COASTAL WATERS OF ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A SOUTH TO SOUTHEASTERLY WIND OVER THE BAYS AND SOUNDS AND THE OFFSHORE ALABAMA WATERS WILL INCREASE INTO THE 15 TO 20 KNOT RANGE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE TONIGHT. SEAS 3 FEET NEAR SHORE AND 4 TO 6 FEET WELL SHORE WILL PERSIST THROUGH TONIGHT. CHOPPY CONDITIONS IN THE BAYS...OCCASIONALLY ROUGH AT THE ENTRANCE. MINOR RIVER FLOODING CONTINUES ALONG PORTIONS OF THE TOMBIGBEE RIVER. SEE THE LATEST RIVER PRODUCTS FOR ADDITIONAL UPDATES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MODERATE TO STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS OVER THE MARINE AREA WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH AT 20 TO 25 KNOTS BY TUESDAY NIGHT FOLLOWING A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE. SEAS WILL LIKELY BUILD TO 7 FEET OR MORE IN ADVANCE OF THE FRONT...SUBSIDING SLOWLY BEHIND THE FRONT BUT REMAINING NEAR 7 FEET WELL OFFSHORE INTO WEDNESDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE FRONT ON TUESDAY...A FEW STORMS MAY CONTAIN GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WILL NOT BE NECESSARY.
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
Witnesses report a hispanic man reportedly went below the water around 3 PM CDT near tower 4 on the main public beach at Gulf Shores after struggling in a strong rip current. His body was recovered by local search and rescue officials in the late afternoon hours.
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, Lower Baldwin | 2011-05-01 | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Alabama in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, May 2011
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: 296766.