An east wind along the Florida east coast resulted in strong rip currents at the beaches.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 MFL wrote it up.
An east wind along the Florida east coast resulted in strong rip currents at the beaches.
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 Miami, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 28, 9:27 AM EST, 2 hours 33 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1027 AM EDT WED MAR 28 2012
.UPDATE...
JUST A FEW UPDATES TO THE SHORT TERM PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST.
UPDATED THE WEATHER PORTION FOR TODAY TO ADD A SLIGHT CHANCE OF
SHOWERS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC WATERS AND THE EAST COAST METRO
AREAS...BUT ONLY AROUND A 10 PERCENT CHANCE....AND SLIGHT CHANCE
OF SHOWERS IN THE NORTHWEST INTERIOR FOR THE LATE AFTERNOON AND
EARLY EVENING HOURS. ALSO UPDATED THE WINDS IN THE ATLANTIC
WATERS...INCLUDING BISCAYNE BAY...WITH REGIONAL OBSERVATIONS
INDICATING WINDS IN THE 15 TO 20 KNOT RANGE AND A PRE-CAUTIONARY
STATEMENT FOR THE ATLANTIC WATERS AND BISCAYNE BAY.
60
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 713 AM EDT WED MAR 28 2012/
AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH EASTERLY WINDS
CONTINUING. WINDS AROUND 15 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 20 KNOTS ARE
EXPECTED DURING THE DAY AT THE EAST COAST TAF SITES. A SEA BREEZE IS
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AGAIN AT KAPF AFTER 19Z. HIGH PRESSURE WILL
WEAKEN AND MOVE EAST THIS EVENING...AND LIGHT WINDS ARE EXPECTED
AFTER 06Z.
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 436 AM EDT WED MAR 28 2012/
DISCUSSION...HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE IN CONTROL OF THE LOCAL
WEATHER THIS WEEK. EASTERLY FLOW WILL BEGIN SLOWING DOWN
THIS AFTERNOON...ALLOWING FOR A SEA BREEZE ALONG THE WEST COAST TO
DEVELOP. FOR THIS REASON...KEPT A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS ACROSS
THE WESTERN HALF OF THE PENINSULA FOR TODAY AND THURSDAY (SAME
PATTERN EXPECTED). BY THE END OF THE WORK WEEK...THE HIGH PRESSURE WILL
BEGIN MOVING EAST INTO THE ATLANTIC WHILE WEAKENING. SURFACE WINDS
WILL BECOME SOUTHERLY...THEREFORE TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLIGHTLY
WARMER THAN NORMAL.
A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ACROSS EASTERN U.S. IS EXPECTED TO GET
SOMEWHAT ORGANIZED THIS WEEKEND AND MOVE EAST INTO THE ATLANTIC.
CURRENT GUIDANCE SHOWS ITS ASSOCIATED FRONTAL BOUNDARY REACHING
ONLY NORTHERN FLORIDA BEFORE WEAKENING RAPIDLY. DESPITE
THIS...KEPT OUR CWA WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR SUNDAY
AFTERNOON TO ACCOUNT FOR SOME INSTABILITY THAT THIS "FRONT'S"
COULD BRING TO OUR AREA.
FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK...CURRENT MODELS SHOW A LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING
ACROSS THE GULF WATERS AND MOVING EAST TOWARDS FLORIDA. AT THIS
MOMENT...IT IS TO EARLY TO BE SPECIFIC ABOUT THIS SYSTEM AND THE
AMOUNT OF RAIN THAT IT COULD GENERATE. SO, AS A CONSERVATIVE
APPROACH, ADDED A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS BEGINNING EARLY
TUESDAY ACROSS THE WHOLE CWA.
MARINE...WINDS WILL BEGIN SLOWING DOWN TO AROUND 12-15 KTS THIS
TODAY ACROSS THE LOCAL WATERS. FOR THIS REASON...WILL LET THE
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TO EXPIRE FOR THE GULF WATERS.
HAZARDOUS MARINE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE PALM BEACH
WATERS AS A SMALL NORTHEAST SWELL REACHES THE AREA TODAY. A SMALL
CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS IS ACTIVE THROUGH TOMORROW
MORNING DUE TO THIS.
FIRE WEATHER...NO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS ARE EXPECTED. RH'S
COULD DROP INTO THE MID 30'S ACROSS THE INTERIOR AND WEST IN THE
AFTERNOONS THROUGH FRIDAY...BUT FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TIME.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
WEST PALM BEACH 81 65 82 64 / 10 10 10 10
FORT LAUDERDALE 81 71 82 69 / 10 10 10 10
MIAMI 82 68 82 68 / 10 10 10 10
NAPLES 86 64 84 64 / 20 20 20 10
&&
.MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...NONE.
AM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS UNTIL 8 AM EDT THURSDAY
FOR COASTAL WATERS FROM JUPITER INLET TO DEERFIELD BEACH,
FL OUT 20 NM-WATERS FROM JUPITER INLET TO DEERFIELD BEACH,
FL EXTENDING FROM 20 NM TO 60 NM.
GM...NONE.
&&
DISCUSSION/MARINE/FIRE...60/BD
AVIATION/RADAR...47/RGHHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH FLORIDA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 416 AM EDT WED MAR 28 2012 AMZ610-630-FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-282330- LAKE OKEECHOBEE-BISCAYNE BAY-GLADES-HENDRY-INLAND PALM BEACH- METRO PALM BEACH-COASTAL COLLIER-INLAND COLLIER-INLAND BROWARD- METRO BROWARD-INLAND MIAMI DADE-METRO MIAMI DADE-MAINLAND MONROE- COASTAL PALM BEACH-COASTAL BROWARD-COASTAL MIAMI DADE- FAR SOUTH MIAMI DADE- 416 AM EDT WED MAR 28 2012 ...HAZARDOUS SEAS OVER THE ATLANTIC WATERS EAST OF PALM BEACH COUNTY... ...HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS PALM BEACH COUNTY BEACHES... ...MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS MIAMI DADE AND BROWARD COUNTY BEACHES... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT RIP CURRENTS: ONSHORE WINDS AROUND 15 MPH COMBINED WITH 2 TO 4 FOOT NORTHEASTERLY SWELL WILL RESULT IN A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE PALM BEACH COUNTY BEACHES. EASTERLY WINDS AROUND 15 MPH WILL RESULT IN A MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS FOR THE MIAMI DADE AND BROWARD COUNTY BEACHES. SEAS: NORTHEASTERLY SWELL OF 2 TO 4 FEET COMBINED WITH EASTERLY WINDS AROUND 15 KNOTS WILL PRODUCE SEAS OF 6 TO 8 FEET IN THE GULF STREAM EAST OF PALM BEACH COUNTY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A SLIGHT TO MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IS EXPECTED FOR THE EAST COAST BEACHES ON THURSDAY DUE TO NORTHEASTERLY SWELL OF 2 TO 3 FEET AND EAST TO SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS AROUND 10 MPH. LIGHT ONSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY...WITH A SLIGHT RISK OF RIP CURRENTS EXPECTED FOR THE EAST COAST BEACHES. HAZARDOUS SEAS MAY CONTINUE FOR THE LOCAL ATLANTIC WATERS EAST OF PALM BEACH COUNTY ON THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. FOR MORE INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIAMI WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MIAMI.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
A family of five was rescued from rip currents by the city of Hollywood lifeguards. Time is estimated.
A father and his three teenage children were rescued from rip currents while swimming at the beach on Singer Island and taken to St. Mary's Medical Center as a precaution.
A 60 year old man was rescued from a rip current by the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue. The man was swimming at an unguarded beach along Galt Ocean Drive. He was taken to a nearby hospital.
A total of eight people were rescued from rip currents by Fort Lauderdale Fire and Ocean Rescue as of late afternoon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, March 2012
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: 370098, 370100, 370099.