Rip Current, Eastern Dare
- When
- June 20, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Eastern Dare forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
A man drowned near Nags Head after a rip current pulled him out to sea.
Rip Current in North Carolina, June 20, 2012
A man drowned near Nags Head after a rip current pulled him out to sea.
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS MHX wrote it up.
A man drowned near Nags Head after a rip current pulled him out to sea.
What forecasters said that day
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 Newport/Morehead City, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 20, 12:07 PM EST, 53 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jun 20, 12:07 PM EST, 53 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC 107 PM EDT WED JUN 20 2012 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD INTO THE AREA FROM THE EAST THROUGH THURSDAY AS A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE REMAINS INLAND. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA FRIDAY AND STALL NORTH OF THE REGION THROUGH SATURDAY BEFORE MOVING ACROSS THE AREA ON SUNDAY. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... AS OF 1255 PM WEDNESDAY...NO MAJOR CHANGES TO CURRENT FORECAST. MUCH LIKE YESTERDAY...INSTABILITY IS RATHER MODEST BUT THERE IS SOME WEAK MOISTURE CONVERGENCE ALONG AND JUST EAST OF THE HIGHWAY 17 CORRIDOR. SEVERAL OF THE HIGH-RES MODELS INDICATE ISOLATED SHOWERS/TSTMS OVER THE NORTHERN AND WESTERN CWA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING...SO WILL LEAVE SLIGHT CHC POPS IN THOSE AREAS. MORE STABLE CLOSER TO THE COAST WITH NO POPS. NO CHANGE IN STATUS OF CROATAN (DAD) WILDFIRE...AS THICK SMOKE IS AFFECTING MAINLY CRAVEN COUNTY ALTHOUGH SOME REDUCED VSBYS ARE BEING OBSERVED FURTHER EAST NEAR THE OUTER BANKS...WHICH MAY BE DUE IN PART TO THE FIRE. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 AM THURSDAY/... AS OF 315 AM WED...THE UPPER RIDGE REMAINS CENTERED OVER THE AREA TONIGHT WITH SFC HIGH PRES CENTERED OFF THE COAST. ANY ISO CONVECTION THAT MAY DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON WILL QUICKLY DISSIPATE WITH LOSS OF SFC HEATING WITH MAINLY CLEAR SKIES EXPECTED. LOWS AROUND 70 EXPECTED INLAND TO L/M70S COAST. DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF FIRE ACTIVITY TODAY SMOKE MAY CONTINUE TO BE AN ISSUE TONIGHT...BUT MAINLY EXPECT ANY IMPACTS TO REMAIN ADJACENT TO THE FIRE...MAINLY IN CRAVEN CO. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... AS OF 300 AM WED...FOR THURSDAY INTO SATURDAY FOLLOWED A BLEND OF PREVIOUS FCST/NAM/GFS/12Z ECMWF. SFC HIGH PRESSURE AND UPPER RIDGE WILL CONTINUE OVER THE SE US THROUGH THURSDAY...SLOWLY PUSHING OFFSHORE ON FRIDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN CONTINUED WARM TEMPERATURES AND OVERALL DRY CONDITIONS. LOW LEVEL THICKNESS VALUES AND SW FLOW SUPPORT HIGH TEMPS THU AND FRI IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL APPROACH EASTERN NC FROM THE NW LATE FRI NIGHT INTO SAT. BY SUNDAY THERE IS A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY WITH THE TIMING OF THE FRONT AND A POSSIBLE LOW MOVING OFF FL AND TRACKING OFF THE COAST AS DEPICTED ON THE 00Z GFS. THE 12Z ECMWF DOES NOT SHOW THIS FEATURE. FOLLOWED PERSISTENCE FORECAST WHICH IS CLOSER TO HPC FORECAST AND 12Z ECMWF NOT CHANGING MUCH IN THE EXTENDED FROM SUNDAY ON. IN THIS SCENARIO...THE FRONT WILL LIKELY STALL NEAR THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND RESULTING IN SCT SHOWERS AND TSTMS...AND MOVING THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... SHORT TERM /TODAY AND TONIGHT/... AS OF 700 AM WED...SMOKE AT THE EWN TERMINAL WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE MAIN ISSUE FOR THE TAF CYCLE. WILL FORECAST MVFR VSBY IN SMOKE AT EWN THRU MOST OF THE TAF PERIOD. NUMERICAL GUIDANCE INDICATES SOME LOWER CEILINGS/VSBY AROUND KOAJ TONIGHT AND PERHAPS SOME LATE NIGHT HAZE/FOG/SMOKE AT KISO AS WELL. LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 300 AM WED...PREDOMINATE VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP FRI AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH PERIODS OF REDUCED CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. DEPENDING ON PROGRESS FIGHTING THE WILDFIRE IN CROATAN FOREST...SMOKE FROM MAY ALSO LIKELY IMPACT VSBYS PERIODICALLY THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .MARINE... SHORT TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... AS OF 105 PM WEDNESDAY...S/SW WINDS CONTINUE AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS ACROSS ALL WATERS. MAY SEE A FEW GUSTS TO NEAR 15 KNOTS AS THE SEA BREEZE GETS GOING THIS AFTERNOON. SEAS ARE 2 TO 3 FEET WITH A CONTINUAL ROLLING 9 TO 10 SECOND SWELL. NO MAJOR CHANGES TO THE FORECAST. LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... AS OF 300 AM WED...HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE SE THROUGH THU RESULTING IN PREDOMINATE SW WINDS THROUGH FRI NIGHT...GENERALLY 10-15KT AND SEAS 2-4FT. EXPECT WINDS TO INCREASE TO 10-20KT FRI AHEAD OF APPROACHING COLD FRONT...WITH SEAS POSSIBLY BUILDING TO 3-5FT. MADE ONLY MINOR TWEAKS IN GRIDS...MAINLY EARLY IN THE PERIOD...SLIGHTLY INCREASING WINDS AND EXPANDING 4 AND 5 FOOT SEAS FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. WIND FORECAST WILL BE TRICKY THIS WEEKEND DEPENDING ON EXACTLY HOW FAR SOUTH THE FRONT MAKES IT AND WHERE EXACTLY IT STALLS. MODELS CONTINUE TO DIVERGE FOR SAT AND SUN. WILL CONTINUE TO TREND WITH PREVIOUS FORECAST AND HPC...WHICH SHOW OVERALL FRONT REMAINING NORTH OF THE AREA WITH SLIGHT WIND SHIFT FOR THE NORTHERN WATERS SAT. OVERALL SAT EXPECT PREDOMINATE SE/SW WINDS AOB 15KT AND SEAS 2-4FT. AT THIS TIME DO NOT ANTICIPATE SCA CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD. && .MHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...SK NEAR TERM...CTC/SK SHORT TERM...SK LONG TERM...RSB AVIATION...RSB/SK MARINE...CTC/SK
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 20, 3:15 AM EST, 9 hours 45 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC 415 AM EDT WED JUN 20 2012 NCZ029-045-046-080-081-092>095-098-210815- MARTIN-WASHINGTON-TYRRELL-BEAUFORT-MAINLAND HYDE-JONES-CRAVEN- PAMLICO-CARTERET-ONSLOW- 415 AM EDT WED JUN 20 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. AREAS OF SMOKE FROM A WILDFIRE IN CRAVEN COUNTY WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES AND PRODUCE POOR AIR QUALITY ACROSS PARTS OF THE REGION TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ044-047-079-090-091-104-210815- PITT-MAINLAND DARE-GREENE-DUPLIN-LENOIR-OUTER BANKS HYDE- 415 AM EDT WED JUN 20 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. NCZ103-210815- OUTER BANKS DARE- 415 AM EDT WED JUN 20 2012 ...MODERATE RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING FROM CAPE HATTERAS NORTH... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NORTH 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 RIP CURRENT RISK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
Event by event
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
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, Eastern Dare | 2012-06-20 | 50 | Male | In Water | Direct |
What these are
- Rip Current
- A narrow, fast current flowing away from the beach that caused a drowning or rescue.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flood and Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, June 20, 2012
- Rip Currents in New Jersey, June 20, 2012
- Drought in Nebraska, June 20 to 30, 2012
- Excessive Heat and Heat in Pennsylvania, June 20 to 22, 2012
- Excessive Heat in New York, June 20 to 21, 2012
- Damaging Winds in Iowa, June 20, 2012
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, June 20 to 21, 2012
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, June 20, 2012
- Excessive Heat and Heat in New Jersey, June 20 to 22, 2012
- Wildfire in Arkansas, June 20, 2012
- Hail in Kansas, June 20, 2012
- Heavy Rain in Michigan, June 20 to 21, 2012
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, June 2012
Sources
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: 383620.