Strong southerly onshore winds produce dangerous rip currents at the beaches along northwest Florida.
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 dangerous rip currents at the beaches along northwest Florida.
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 Mar 15, 11:40 AM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...AVIATION UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 1240 PM CDT TUE MAR 15 2011 .AVIATION (18Z ISSUANCE)...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE PERIOD. /13 && ...PREVIOUS DISCUSSION... .SHORT TERM...FOR TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT...SOME LOW/MID LEVEL CLOUDS EARLY THIS MORNING AS A FRONT PASSES ACROSS THE FCST AREA...BUT SKIES ARE EXPECTED TO BE CLEARING BY THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. MAY SEE SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS ALONG AND EAST OF I-65 EARLY THIS MORNING...BUT THOSE TOO WILL QUICKLY MOVE EAST OF THE AREA BY AFTERNOON. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE BUILDING IN ACROSS THE FCST AREA TONIGHT...WITH PARTLY CLOUDY TO MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES EXPECTED. LIGHT TO OCCASIONALLY MODERATE SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS THIS MORNING BECOMING MORE NORTHERLY THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...BRINGING IN SLIGHTLY DRIER AND COOLER AIR. HIGHS TODAY SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN YESTERDAY...WITH LOWER 70S NEAR THE COAST AND UPPER 60S OVER INTERIOR. OVERNIGHT MIN TEMPS TONIGHT IN THE LOW/MID 40S OVER NEARLY ALL OF THE FCST AREA...EXCEPT ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST...WHERE LOWER 50S ARE EXPECTED. 12/DS FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...BY WEDNESDAY MORNING...AS THE CURRENT WEATHER PRODUCING GROUP OF SHORTWAVES MOVE OFF...SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE MOVES EAST...BECOMING CENTERED OVER AL/MS BY SUNRISE WEDNESDAY. TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT...GUIDANCE IS ADVERTISING THIS SURFACE HIGH EXPANDING AS IT GETS PULLED(BY THE EXITING UPPER ENERGY) TO OVER THE EASTERN SEABOARD. THIS EASTWARD SHIFT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A A BIT OF UPPER RIDGING OVER THE PLAINS/MISS RIVER VALLEY...RESULTING IN AN INCREASE IN TEMPS. THIS RIDGING CONTINUES THURSDAY...WITH TEMPS EVEN WARMER...WITH 80 OVER INLAND AREAS THURSDAY. GUIDANCE IS ADVERTISING A WHOLE BUNCH OF UPPER SHORTWAVES MOVING OVER THE WESTERN CONUS AT THIS TIME...BUT THESE WILL COME INTO PLAY IN THE EXTENDED. .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY NIGHT ON)BY THURSDAY NIGHT...THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE HAS BEEN SHIFTED WEST...TO OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN CONUS...AND PEAKED. GUIDANCE IS ADVERTISING A WEAK SHORTWAVE MOVING DOWN THE EAST SIDE OF THE UPPER RIDGE. SOME SLIGHT DIFFERENCES APPEAR......WITH THE GFS ADVERTISING A SLIGHTLY FLATTER RIDGE...THUS A MORE PRONOUNCED SHORTWAVE...WHILST THE ECMWF IS ADVERTISING A STRONGER RIDGE...AND WEAKER SHORTWAVE. NAM IS IN BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE GFS. EITHER WAY...NONE ARE ADVERTISING MUCH IN THE WAY OF ANY PRECIP. NOT EVEN MUCH IN THE WAY OF ADDITIONAL CLOUDS...BUT A LEVELING OFF ON THE TEMPS THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. ON THE SYNOPTIC SCALE...THE UPPER PATTERN OVER THE CONUS CONTINUES TO EVOLVE...WITH SOME OF THE SHORTWAVE ENERGY DEFLECTED NORTH AROUND THE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEAST STARTING TO ORGANIZE INTO A CLOSED SYSTEM OVER THE NORTHEASTERN CONUS...AS THE REST OF THE UPPER ENERGY STARTS TO ORGANIZE OVER THE WESTERN CONUS. THE WESTERN ENERGY SWING EAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND...TO OVER.JUST WEST OF THE US ROCKIES BY MONDAY MORN. WITH THE SURFACE HIGH ASSOCIATED WITH THE RIDGE GETTING PUSHED TO THE EASTERN SEABOARD...SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW BECOMES RE- ESTABLISHED...BUMPING UP THE MOISTURE LEVELS OVER THE AREA. GFS IS A BIT STRONGER WITH THE ONSHORE FLOW...THUS THE MOISTURE INCREASE THAN THE ECMWF. GFS ENSEMBLES ARE ADVERTISING A MORE EASTWARD PUSH OF THE WESTERN SYSTEM BEFORE GETTING SHUNTED NORTH BY THE EASTERN RIDGE. THIS LEAVES THE OP GFS THE MODEL IN THE MIDDLE...SO HAVEN'T DEVIATED FROM IT WITH THE SPECIFICS FOR THE FORECAST FOR THE WEEKEND INTO THE COMING WEEK. && .MARINE...WIND FLOW WILL BE SHIFTING FROM SOUTHWESTERLY TO WEST AND EVENTUALLY NORTHWEST TODAY AND THIS EVENING ACROSS THE MARINE AREA IN THE WAKE OF A COLD FRONT. THE COLD FRONT WILL BRIEFLY STALL ALONG OR JUST NORTH OF THE COAST TODAY BEFORE MOVING OFFSHORE AND CLEARING THE MARINE AREA BY THIS EVENING. A BRIEF NORTHERLY FLOW WILL FOLLOW LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES ACROSS THE AREA IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONT. BUT...A SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL RETURN BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS THE HIGH MOVES EAST OF THE AREA. A GENERALLY LIGHT SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW WILL THEN CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. SEAS 2-3 FEET TODAY...THEN GENERALLY LESS THAN 2 FEET FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. 12/DS && .FIRE WEATHER...PASSING SYSTEM WILL DROP SOME RAIN...MAINLY OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE FA TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY. AS THIS SYSTEM EXITS EAST...A DRIER...BUT NOT SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER AIRMASS WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. THE FRONT TRAILING THIS SYSTEM WILL BE WEAK...WITH ONLY A TEMPORARY SHIFT IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER FLOW TUESDAY. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVER OVER THE AREA LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...KEEPING THE THE BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS ON THE LIGHT AND VARIABLE SIDE...AND AS IT SLOWLY MEANDER EASTWARD...LIGHT AND VARIABLE WILL BE THE NAME OF THE GAME WITH RESPECT TO WINDS THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK OVER MOST OF THE AREA. A DAILY GULF BREEZE IS EXPECTED TO QUICKLY INCREASE MOISTURE LEVELS NEAR THE COAST THURSDAY ON. IT'S NOT UNTIL LATE FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND THAT THE SURFACE HIGH GETS PUSHED EAST ENOUGH FOR A STEADY SOUTHERLY FLOW TO BECOME RE- ESTABLISHED AREA WIDE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MOBILE 71 46 74 50 78 / 10 05 00 00 00 PENSACOLA 72 50 72 53 75 / 20 10 00 00 00 DESTIN 71 53 70 52 70 / 20 10 00 00 00 EVERGREEN 71 41 73 40 80 / 20 10 00 00 00 WAYNESBORO 67 41 73 44 79 / 10 05 00 00 00 CAMDEN 68 40 73 39 80 / 20 05 00 00 00 CRESTVIEW 75 44 76 39 81 / 20 10 00 00 00 && .MOB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. FL...NONE. MS...NONE. GM...NONE. && 12/16
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 1140 AM CDT TUE MAR 15 2011 ALZ051>064-FLZ001>006-GMZ630-650-655-670-675-MSZ067-075-076-078- 079-161200- 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- 1140 AM CDT TUE MAR 15 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL ALABAMA...SOUTHWEST ALABAMA...THE COASTAL WATERS OF ALABAMA AND NORTHWEST FLORIDA...NORTHWEST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT MANY RIVERS AND STREAMS ACROSS THE AREA ARE EXPERIENCING MINOR FLOODING. OVERNIGHT RAINFALL WAS NOT HEAVY ENOUGH TO ADVERSELY AFFECT THESE RIVERS. FOR MORE DETAILS...SEE THE LATEST RIVER STATEMENTS REGARDING CURRENT STAGE AND FORECAST INFORMATION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. MINOR RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE AREA INTO WEEKEND. NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
A Texas man who was pulled unconscious from the surf east of Portofino Island Resort on Pensacola Beach died after being airlifted to Gulf Breeze Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
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, Coastal Escambia | 2011-03-15 | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, March 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: 296763.