Onshore winds in combination with 3 foot long period swells, resulted in conditions favorable for rip current formation along the Georgia coast.
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 CHS wrote it up.
Onshore winds in combination with 3 foot long period swells, resulted in conditions favorable for rip current formation along the Georgia coast.
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 Charleston, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 23, 6:39 AM EST, 2 hours 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 739 AM EDT SAT APR 23 2011 .SYNOPSIS... ATLANTIC HIGH PRESSURE WILL PREVAIL THROUGH MIDWEEK. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT OR THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE RETURNS FROM THE WEST FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... WE WILL CONTINUE WITH MENTION OF AREAS OF FOG OVER NORTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS THROUGH MID MORNING...WITH SOME LOCALLY DENSE FOG IN BERKELEY...DORCHESTER...COLLETON...HAMPTON...ALLENDALE...SCREVEN AND JENKINS COUNTIES TO OCCUR. COVERAGE OF THE FOG IS NOT ENOUGH TO WARRANT A DENSE FOG ADVISORY. THE FOG IS FOUND WITHIN THE LINGERING HIGH PRESSURE WEDGE WHICH WILL QUICKLY ERODE THIS MORNING AND GIVE WAY TO AN AREA OF ATLC HIGH PRESSURE. THIS HIGH WILL EXPAND WESTWARD OVER THE CAROLINAS AND GEORGIA WHILE UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS NORTHWARD FROM THE CARIBBEAN. THIS INCREASE IN DEEP RIDGING WILL SUPPRESS CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT TODAY SO WILL RUN WITH A DRY FCST. THE INCREASING THICKNESSES WILL MAKE FOR A RATHER WARM DAY...WITH HIGHS REACHING THE MID-UPR 80S BEFORE THE SEABREEZE MOVES INLAND THIS AFTERNOON. THERE MAY BE A FAIR WX CUMULUS FIELD THIS AFTN...BUT THIS SHOULD PUSH INLAND WITH THE SEABREEZE THEN DISSIPATE GOING INTO THE EVENING HOURS. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY/... TONIGHT...CONTINUED DEEP RIDGING WILL ALLOW FOR CLEARING SKIES TONIGHT WITH DIMINISHING WINDS. LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BECOME TRAPPED UNDER THE NIGHTLY INVERSION. WITH THE LIGHTER WINDS... WILL LOOK FOR FAIRLY DECENT FOG COVERAGE OVERNIGHT. HAVE INCREASED THE COVERAGE TO AREAS OF FOG...BUT AM NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH ATTM TO PINPOINT ANY AREAS THAT COULD BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DENSE FOG...DESPITE THAT THE SREF DROP VSBYS SIGNIFICANTLY AND OVER MUCH OF THE CHS CWFA. ANOTHER MILD NIGHT EXPECTED WITH LOWS IN THE LOW- MID 60S AWAY FROM THE COAST AND NEAR 70 ALONG THE SHORES. SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...THE DEEP RIDGING PATTERN WILL PREVAIL GOING INTO TUESDAY...BUT IT DOES SHOW SOME SIGNS OF BREAKING DOWN ON TUESDAY. CONTINUED DEEP THICKNESSES WILL MAKE FOR HIGHS CONTINUALLY IN THE MID 80S...WITH ISOLD UPR 80S POSSIBLE EACH AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE SEABREEZE. OF NOTE FOR TUESDAY WILL BE MOISTURE STREAMING IN FROM OFFSHORE AROUND THE ATLC HIGH... MOISTURE THAT IS COMING FROM A PRE-SEASON SUBTROPICAL DISTURBANCE WELL OUT OVER THE OCEAN. THIS ADDITIONAL MOISTURE AND AN INCREASE IN OMEGA LIFT ON TUE COULD PRODUCE ISOLD SHWRS/TSTMS SO WILL MAINTAIN SLGT CHC POPS ON TUE. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... A POTENT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SPAWNING OFF THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES WILL SHIFT RAPIDLY NE FROM THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TUE NIGHT TO THE GREAT LAKES BY EARLY THU. IN CONJUNCTION WILL BE A RAPIDLY DEEPENING UPPER LEVEL LONGWAVE TROUGH THAT WILL ROTATE THROUGH THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY TUE NIGHT INTO WED AND CROSS THE APPALACHIANS THU AND THU NIGHT. GULF MOISTURE WILL STREAM NORTHWARD AHEAD OF THE FRONT...SUPPORTING MORE ORGANIZED PRECIPITATION DEVELOPMENT FOR WED NIGHT INTO THU. TIMING ISSUES ARE STILL PREVALENT AMONG THE LONG-RANGE MODELS...BUT THERE IS AT LEAST GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE SCENARIO OF A FROPA WILL OCCUR. HAVE ADVERTISED POPS IN THE 40S FOR NOW GIVEN THE TIMING ISSUES...BUT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE THAT NUMBER SLOWLY CREEP UPWARDS OVER THE COMING DAYS. THE FRONT LOOKS TO MOVES THROUGH THE AREA THU FOLLOWED BY COOLER AND DRIER HIGH PRESSURE MOVING IN FROM THE WEST. TEMPS WILL CONTINUE TO RUN WARMER THAN NORMAL AHEAD OF THE FRONT...REACHING THE MID 80S...THEN HAVE SHOWN A COOL DOWN THU-FRI WITH THE FROPA. STILL TOO EARLY TO TELL IF THERE IS ANY SEVERE POTENTIAL AND/OR STORM ORGANIZATION WITH THIS FRONT AS THE DETAILS OF JET DYNAMICS AND INSTABILITY ARE TOO MUDDLED AT THIS POINT. WILL NEED A FEW MORE MODEL RUNS TO EVALUATE THIS POTENTIAL AND TO MONITOR EXTENDED PRODUCTS FROM THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER. && .AVIATION /12Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... THE KCHS TERMINAL IS FOUND NEAR THE EDGE OF THE WEAKENING HIGH PRESSURE WEDGE...AND THIS WILL RESULT IN MVFR CONDITIONS THROUGH 15Z. THE KSAV TERMINAL IS SOUTH OF THE WEDGE...AND AT MOST THEY WILL EXPERIENCE A PERIOD OF MVFR WEATHER THROUGH 13Z. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT BOTH AIRPORTS THE BALANCE OF TODAY AND THE FIRST PART OF TONIGHT. CONSIDERABLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL REMAIN TRAPPED BENEATH THE INVERSION TONIGHT. THIS WILL LEAD TO THE FORMATION OF SOME FOG/STRATUS WITH MVFR CONDITIONS AFTER 08Z. SE AND SOUTH WINDS WILL GENERALLY HOLD AT 10-12 KT OR LESS THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD. BUT GIVEN SOME ENHANCEMENT OF WINDS DUE TO THE SEA BREEZE AND MIXING THAT IS MAXIMIZED THIS AFTERNOON...GUSTS WILL REACH 15-20 KT FOR A FEW HOURS BEFORE SUNSET. EXTENDED AVIATION OUTLOOK...MVFR OR LOWER CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY AROUND DAYBREAK IN LOW STRATUS/FOG EACH MORNING THROUGH TUESDAY. A SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA AND POSSIBLE MVFR CONDITIONS AT THE TERMINALS TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. OTHERWISE VFR WEATHER WILL PREVAIL. && .MARINE... THE INLAND WEDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO ERODE THIS MORNING...AS THE CENTER OF THE HIGH OFF NEW ENGLAND MOVES EAST. ITS ASSOCIATED RIDGE THEN STRETCHES SW ACROSS THE LOCAL WATERS THROUGH TONIGHT. THE HIGH THEN SHIFTS SE ON SUNDAY AND THIS SUB TROPICAL RIDGE WILL ALIGN ITSELF MORE EAST-WEST ACROSS THE LOCAL WATERS DURING THE EARLY PART OF THE WEEK. ALTHOUGH WE LOOK FOR SOME ENHANCEMENT OF WINDS EACH AFTERNOON/EVENING DUE TO THE SEA BREEZE...SE AND SOUTH WINDS WILL GENERALLY HOLD AT 15 KT OR LESS THROUGH MONDAY. WHILE THERE WILL BE SMALL WIND WAVES...THE BULK OF THE WAVE ENERGY WILL BE IN THE FORM OF SWELL WAVES DUE TO THE PERSISTENT ONSHORE FLOW. EVEN SO...COMBINED SEAS WILL REMAIN AT 5 FT OR LESS. THE SUB-TROPICAL RIDGE BEGINS TO WEAKEN TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AHEAD OF STRENGTHENING LOW PRESSURE IN THE SOUTHERN PLAINS STATES THAT MOVES NE TO THE OHIO VALLEY. A TRAILING COLD FRONT FROM THE LOW WILL LIKELY PASS THROUGH THE COASTAL WATERS THURSDAY. IN ADVANCE OF THAT FRONT...THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS BETWEEN THE ATLANTIC HIGH AND THE UPSTREAM LOW PRESSURE AREA. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR AN INCREASE IN WINDS AND BUILDING SEAS...AND WE COULD BE LOOKING AT SCA CONDITIONS DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. ALTHOUGH THERE REMAINS A SMALL RISK OF SOME SEA FOG DEVELOPING TONIGHT OR SUNDAY THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THE WEEK AS PER SREF AND NAM MODEL SOLUTIONS...GIVEN THE WARM SST/S THE ODDS ARE STACKED AGAINST ITS FORMATION. INSTEAD THERE MAY BE PATCHES OF RADIATION FOG IN CHARLESTON HARBOR A FEW HOURS EITHER SIDE OF DAYBREAK THROUGH EARLY IN THE WEEK. RIP CURRENTS...THE COMBINATION OF SE AND SOUTH WINDS AS HIGH AS 15 MPH AND AROUND 3 FOOT SWELLS WILL RESULT IN A MARGINAL MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT AREA BEACHES TODAY. SIMILAR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST SUNDAY THROUGH AT LEAST TUESDAY OR WEDNESDAY...AND THUS A CONTINUED ENHANCED RISK OF RIP CURRENTS. && .CHS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... GA...NONE. SC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && 33
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 311 AM EDT SAT APR 23 2011 GAZ117-119-139-141-SCZ048>051-240715- COASTAL BRYAN-COASTAL CHATHAM-COASTAL LIBERTY-COASTAL MCINTOSH- BEAUFORT-COASTAL COLLETON-CHARLESTON-COASTAL JASPER- 311 AM EDT SAT APR 23 2011 ...MODERATE RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST 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 FOR RIP CURRENTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. RIP CURRENTS...THE COMBINATION OF ONSHORE WINDS AND SMALL SWELLS WILL LEAD AN ENHANCED RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT THE BEACHES THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY IN THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. AMZ330-350-352-354-374-GAZ087-088-099>101-114>116-118-137-138-140- SCZ040-042>045-047-052-240715- CHARLESTON HARBOR- WATERS FROM SOUTH SANTEE RIVER TO EDISTO BEACH SC OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM EDISTO BEACH SC TO SAVANNAH GA OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA OUT 20 NM...INCLUDING GRAYS REEF NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY- WATERS FROM SAVANNAH GA TO ALTAMAHA SOUND GA EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM-JENKINS-SCREVEN-CANDLER-BULLOCH-EFFINGHAM-TATTNALL-EVANS- INLAND BRYAN-INLAND CHATHAM-LONG-INLAND LIBERTY-INLAND MCINTOSH- ALLENDALE-HAMPTON-INLAND COLLETON-DORCHESTER-INLAND BERKELEY- INLAND JASPER-TIDAL BERKELEY- 311 AM EDT SAT APR 23 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS...SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST 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. 33
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
Tybee Island lifeguards reported persistent rip currents throughout the day which resulted in 5 swimmers having to be rescued from the surf zone.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Georgia in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, April 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: 304259.