Long period swells associated with distant Tropical Storm Sean produced numerous strong rip currents along the east central Florida coast. A female swimmer was pulled out to sea by a rip current and battered by the rough surf so that she became submerged in water.
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 MLB wrote it up.
Long period swells associated with distant Tropical Storm Sean produced numerous strong rip currents along the east central Florida coast. A female swimmer was pulled out to sea by a rip current and battered by the rough surf so that she became submerged in water. Lifeguards pulled the woman from the water and performed CPR, but she was unresponsive and later pronounced dead at an area hospital.
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 Melbourne, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 9, 9:38 AM EST, 5 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
938 AM EST WED NOV 9 2011
.DISCUSSION...
MORNING CAPE CANAVERAL SOUNDING HAS NNE-NE FLOW THROUGH THE LOWER
LEVELS AND STRONG SUBSIDENCE INVERSION NEAR 800 MB WITH MUCH OF THE
MOISTURE TRAPPED BELOW IT. A FEW LOW-TOPPED LIGHT SHOWER MOVING
ONSHORE THE COAST SOUTH OF THE CAPE AT MID MORNING. SHOWERS OVER
LAND ARE EXPECTED TO WANE INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS AS FLOW BELOW 700
MB FLOW SLOWLY BACKS TO A MORE NORTHERLY COMPONENT... AT 10-15 MPH
WITH HIGHER GUSTS...ESP NEAR THE EAST COAST. HIGH TEMPS RANGING FROM
UPPER 70S/NEAR 80 COAST TO NEAR 80/LOWER 80S INLAND.
&&
.AVIATION...MAINLY VFR WITH SCT-BKN040-060 TODAY. ONLY MVFR
REDUCTIONS MAY BE WITH A FEW COASTAL SHRA AFFECTING COASTAL
SECTIONS AND NEAR SHORE WATERS SOUTH OF KTIX INTO THE AFTN.
&&
.MARINE...NO SIG CHANGES PLANNED FOR LATE MORNING CWF PACKAGE.
(PREVIOUS)TODAY-TONIGHT...LCL BUOY NETWORK MEASURING 4-8FT SEAS
NEARSHORE AND 9-12FT SEAS OFFSHORE THIS MORNING...THOUGH SFC/BNDRY
LYR WNDS HAVE DROPPED BACK TO A MODERATE TO FRESH NE BREEZE. WINDS
WILL BACK TO THE N THIS AFTN AND TO THE NW TONIGHT AS THE HI PRES
RIDGE OVER THE SERN SEABOARD COLLAPSES AND SEAN DRIFTS SLOWLY NWD.
LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY SEAN WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE E FL
COAST WHILE THE INCREASING NRLY WIND COMPONENT WILL BUFFET UP
AGAINST THE SRLY GULF STREAM...WHICH SHOULD SHORTEN DOMINANT WAVE
PDS FROM 12-13SEC DOWN TO 10-11SEC. THIS WILL RESULT IN DANGEROUS
BOATING CONDITIONS ACRS THE LCL ATLC...SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS ARE
URGED TO REMAIN IN PORT OR LIMIT ACTIVITY TO THE INTRACOASTAL
WATERS.
THU-SUN...NORTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 20-25KTS OVER THE WATERS
THURSDAY EVENING BEHIND A COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA DURING
THE DAY. WINDS WILL VEER TO THE EAST/NORTHEAST BY SATURDAY AND
DIMINISH TO 10-15 KNOTS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK AS A HIGH
PRES RIDGE BUILDS ACROSS THE SERN CONUS.
HAZARDOUS BOATING CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE
WEEK AS LARGE SWELLS GENERATED BY TC SEAN WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT
THE E FL COAST...IN COMBINATION WITH LOCALLY GENERATED WIND WAVES
BEHIND THE FRONT ON FRIDAY. SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO PEAK AROUND 7-8FT
NEARSHORE/10-12FT OFFSHORE ON FRIDAY...BEFORE SUBSIDING TO 3-6FT ON
SUNDAY.
&&
.MLB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...HIGH SURF ADVISORY UNTIL 4 AM EST THURSDAY FOR COASTAL VOLUSIA-
INDIAN RIVER-MARTIN-NORTHERN BREVARD-SOUTHERN BREVARD-ST.
LUCIE.
AM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM EST FRIDAY FOR COASTAL WATERS
FROM FLAGLER BEACH TO VOLUSIA BREVARD COUNTY LINE OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM SEBASTIAN INLET TO JUPITER INLET OUT 20
NM-COASTAL WATERS FROM VOLUSIA BREVARD COUNTY LINE TO
SEBASTIAN INLET OUT 20 NM-WATERS FROM FLAGLER BEACH TO
VOLUSIA BREVARD COUNTY LINE 20 TO 60 NM OFFSHORE-WATERS
FROM SEBASTIAN INLET TO JUPITER INLET 20 TO 60 NM OFFSHORE-
WATERS FROM VOLUSIA BREVARD COUNTY LINE TO SEBASTIAN INLET
20 TO 60 NM OFFSHORE.
&&
GLITTO/PENDERGRASTHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 508 AM EST WED NOV 9 2011 AMZ550-552-555-570-572-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141- 144-147-091900- COASTAL WATERS FROM FLAGLER BEACH TO VOLUSIA BREVARD COUNTY LINE OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM VOLUSIA BREVARD COUNTY LINE TO SEBASTIAN INLET OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM SEBASTIAN INLET TO JUPITER INLET OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM FLAGLER BEACH TO VOLUSIA BREVARD COUNTY LINE 20 TO 60 NM OFFSHORE- WATERS FROM VOLUSIA BREVARD COUNTY LINE TO SEBASTIAN INLET 20 TO 60 NM OFFSHORE- WATERS FROM SEBASTIAN INLET TO JUPITER INLET 20 TO 60 NM OFFSHORE- INLAND VOLUSIA-NORTHERN LAKE-ORANGE-SEMINOLE-SOUTHERN BREVARD- OSCEOLA-INDIAN RIVER-OKEECHOBEE-ST. LUCIE-MARTIN-COASTAL VOLUSIA- SOUTHERN LAKE-NORTHERN BREVARD- 508 AM EST WED NOV 9 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. .RIP CURRENT IMPACT... A HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK WILL CONTINUE TODAY AS A LARGE LONG PERIOD EASTERLY SWELL IMPACTS THE EAST FLORIDA COAST. IN ADDITION... ASTRONOMICAL TIDES ARE NEARING THEIR PEAK WITH THE APPROACH OF THE FULL MOON. THE RISK WILL BE HIGHEST BETWEEN 930 AM AND 400 PM DUE TO TIDAL EFFECTS. BEACH GOERS ARE URGED TO REMAIN OUT OF THE SURF AS LARGE BREAKING WAVES WILL ADD TO THE RISK. IF YOU MUST ENTER THE SURF CHECK LOCAL CONDITIONS WITH BEACH PATROL UPON ARRIVAL AT THE BEACH. NEVER SWIM ALONE. .COASTAL FLOOD IMPACT... LARGE BREAKING WAVES AND ROUGH POUNDING SURF WILL CAUSE MINOR TO MODERATE BEACH EROSION AROUND THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE THROUGH 700 AM THIS MORNING...AROUND 700 PM THIS EVENING. .WIND AND SEA IMPACT... SEAS RANGING FROM 8 FEET A FEW MILES OFF THE COAST TO 12 FEET IN THE GULF STREAM WILL RESULT IN DANGEROUS BOATING CONDITIONS TODAY. THE THREAT WILL BE COMPOUNDED THIS AFTERNOON AS SURFACE WINDS SHIFT TO THE NORTH. THE OPPOSING NORTH WIND AND SOUTH GULF CURRENT WILL SHORTEN DOMINANT WAVE PERIODS FROM 12-13 SECONDS DOWN TO 10-11 SECONDS. SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS ARE URGED TO REMAIN IN PORT OR LIMIT ACTIVITY TO THE INTRACOASTAL WATERS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. DANGEROUS BEACH AND BOATING CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK DUE TO MODERATE TO STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS AND A LARGE SWELL GENERATED BY SUB TROPICAL STORM SEAN. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. BEHIND THE FRONT...WINDS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS WILL SURGE OUT OF THE NORTHWEST TO AROUND 25 KNOTS BEFORE DIMINISHING LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY. BRAGAW
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
A 34 year old female tourist was caught in a rip current and pulled underneath the water during rough surf, causing her to drown. One other woman was also caught in a rip current while swimming, but she was pulled from the water and survived.
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, Martin | 2011-11-09 | 34 | Female | 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, November 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: 347093.