During the week of March 8th through the 14th, onshore flow along the Atlantic coast resulted in strong rip currents at the beaches. Beach attendance was heavy each day due to spring break with many rescues and a couple of drownings.
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.
During the week of March 8th through the 14th, onshore flow along the Atlantic coast resulted in strong rip currents at the beaches. Beach attendance was heavy each day due to spring break with many rescues and a couple of drownings. The city of Hollywood reported 24 people rescued from Rip Currents and Pompano Beach reported 15 people were rescued ranging in ages from 6 to 69.
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 13, 12:45 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
145 PM EDT FRI MAR 13 2015
.AVIATION...
SOME MVFR CIGS WILL OCCUR AT THE EAST COAST TERMINALS AS A CLUSTER
OF MOISTURE AND CLOUDS MOVE ONTO THE SOUTHEAST COAST THROUGH
00-01Z. MODELS WHICH HAVE HANDLED THE AREA OF MOISTURE WELL SHOW
DRIER AIR MOVING IN FROM THE ATLANTIC AFT THIS SO ONLY AN ISOLATED
SHOWER IS POSSIBLE. A SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW WILL CONTINUE WITH
OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO NEAR 20 KNOTS DROPPING OFF AFTER SUNSET AND
THEN PICKING UP AGAIN EARLY SATURDAY.
KOB
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1027 AM EDT FRI MAR 13 2015/
UPDATE...
SWATH OF DEEPER MOISTURE MOVING ACROSS THE ATLANTIC WATERS TOWARDS
THE EAST COAST THIS MORNING. ISOLATED SHOWERS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
ARE FORECAST TO MOVE INTO BROWARD COUNTY SHORTLY. GREATER COVERAGE
OF SHOWERS IS FORECAST THIS AFTERNOON AS THE MOISTURE INCREASES.
THE ONLY MAJOR UPDATE THIS MORNING WAS TO ADD A SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORY FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS AND BISCAYNE BAY. REGIONAL
OBSERVATIONS WERE SHOWING WINDS AROUND 20 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS.
IN ADDITION...SOME OF THE EAST COAST METRO AIRPORTS WERE ALSO
GUSTING OVER 25 KNOTS. THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 744 AM EDT FRI MAR 13 2015/
AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE FORECAST WITH OCCASIONAL
BKN050 AT ALL EAST COAST TERMINALS ALONG WITH A FEW SHOWERS MOVING
ONSHORE. SOUTHEAST WIND WITH GUSTS TO OVER 20 KNOTS ALONG THE EAST
COAST. THIS WILL LIKELY PREVENT A WEST COAST SEA BREEZE FROM
DEVELOPING.
KOB
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 329 AM EDT FRI MAR 13 2015/
DISCUSSION...
PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS A BIT TODAY, AS HIGH PRESSURE WEDGED
ALONG THE APPALACHIANS, INTERACTS WITH A SURFACE LOW MOVING FROM THE
GULF COAST TO THE ARKLATEX THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION, SURFACE HIGH
WILL BE MOVING SOUTHEAST OFF THE EASTERN SEABOARD, NUDGING A
WEAK BACKDOOR FRONT CLOSER TO CENTRAL FLORIDA. EASTERLY WINDS
WILL GET A BOOST ALONG THE SOUTH FLORIDA EAST COAST AS A RESULT.
JUST SOUTH OF THE DWINDLING BOUNDARY, A PLUME OF MOISTURE WILL
PUSH INTO THE MIDLEVELS TODAY, FROM ROUGHLY FLL TO PBI. WITH
ONSHORE FLOW CONTINUING, AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS SLIGHTLY
INCREASED MOISTURE PROFILE, SHOWERS WILL BE SOMEWHAT MORE PROBABLE
ALONG PARTS OF THE EAST COAST TODAY.
THE PERSISTENT UPPER LOW/TROUGH OVER TEXAS/MEXICO WILL CUTOFF AS
AND BECOME COMPLETELY DETACHED, RETROGRADING INTO BAJA CALIFORNIA
BY SUNDAY. IN RESPONSE, THE UPPER HIGH WILL ACTUALLY STRENGTHEN A
BIT AND MOVE WEST, EVENTUALLY SETTLING OVER THE WESTERN GULF OF
MEXICO TO START THE WORK WEEK. THUS, THE WEEKEND SHOULD REMAIN
WARM AND HUMID, WITH LITTLE THREAT OF EVEN COASTAL SHOWERS, AS
MODELS ARE AGAIN DEPICTING PWATS FALLING BELOW AN INCH. BY MONDAY,
FLORIDA WILL BE ON THE EASTERN PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER RIDGE, BECOMING
VULNERABLE TO A BACKDOOR FRONT. THE RIDGE WILL BE GONE FOR GOOD BY
MIDWEEK, AS THE PATTERN CHANGES ACROSS NORTH AMERICA. THE POLAR
VORTEX WILL ONCE AGAIN RETURN TO THIS SIDE OF THE HEMISPHERE,
ARRIVING AT HUDSON BAY, AND AS A RESULT A COLD TROUGH WILL SETTLE
ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. THESE CHANGES AT THE MID AND HIGH LATITUDES
WILL SMASH ANY SEMBLANCE OF OUR PERSISTENT RIDGE, WITH LOWER
HEIGHTS AND A FLATTER PATTERN. DRIER AIR SHOULD ARRIVE AROUND
TUESDAY WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPS AND DEWPOINTS FALLING INTO THE
LOWER 60S. WEAK SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD PERSIST FOR MUCH OF
NEXT WEEK WITH NOT MUCH CHANCE OF PRECIP AND ONLY LIGHT TO
MODERATE WINDS. A TROUGH DIVING INTO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY
LATE NEXT WEEK MAY FINALLY ADD SOME AMPLITUDE TO THE PATTERN, WITH
TEMPS AND DEWPOINTS RISING IN RESPONSE.
MARINE...
WINDS INCREASING THIS EARLY MORNING AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT
TIGHTENS, WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH
THE OFFSHORE ATLANTIC WATERS. SCATTEROMETER PASS AND OBSERVATIONS
INDICATE CURRENT WINDS ARE AT LEAST A FEW KNOTS GREATER THAN
GUIDANCE. THE SCA MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED TO THE NEARSHORE WATERS
LATER TODAY IF THIS TREND PERSISTS, BUT WILL CONTINUE WITH SMALL
CRAFT EXERCISE CAUTION FOR NOW. WAVES MAY BE NEAR 7 FEET BRIEFLY
ALONG THE GULF STREAM TODAY, WITH 5-6 FOOT WAVES ELSEWHERE THROUGH
THE ATLANTIC. WINDS WILL WEAKEN FRIDAY NIGHT AS SURFACE HIGH
PRESSURE DEPARTS THE EASTERN SEABOARD, BUT SPEEDS PICK UP AGAIN
ON MONDAY, PERHAPS NEAR SCA CRITERIA AS A FRONT DROPS ACROSS THE
ATLANTIC WATERS. WEAK SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE ALLOWS GOOD CONDITIONS
TO RETURN INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
&&
.MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING FOR FLZ168-172-
173.
AM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT FOR AMZ630-650-
651-670-671.
GM...NONE.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH FLORIDA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 423 AM EDT FRI MAR 13 2015 AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-GMZ656-657-676- 132030- LAKE OKEECHOBEE-BISCAYNE BAY- COASTAL WATERS FROM JUPITER INLET TO DEERFIELD BEACH, FL OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM DEERFIELD BEACH TO OCEAN REEF, FL OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM JUPITER INLET TO DEERFIELD BEACH, FL EXTENDING FROM 20 NM TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM DEERFIELD BEACH TO OCEAN REEF, FL EXTENDING FROM 20 NM TO THE TERRITORIAL WATERS OF THE BAHAMAS-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- COASTAL WATERS FROM CHOKOLOSKEE TO BONITA BEACH, FL OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM EAST CAPE SABLE TO CHOKOLOSKEE, FL OUT 20 NM- GULF WATERS FROM CHOKOLOSKEE TO BONITA BEACH, FL EXTENDING FROM 20 TO 60 NM- 423 AM EDT FRI MAR 13 2015 ...HIGH RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS ATLANTIC BEACHES... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT RIP CURRENTS: THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST BEACHES OF SOUTH FLORIDA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE HIGH RISK FOR RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE ATLANTIC BEACHES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY MORNING. .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 middle aged man was pulled from the surf at about 3 PM EDT by lifeguards between 62nd and 63rd Streets on Miami Beach. He was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital and died later in the afternoon.
In Delray Beach, five distressed swimmers were pulled from the water and taken to the hospital. One male, about 55-years old, was in critical condition while the other four were listed in stable condition.
At around 345 PM EDT, a 21-year old male British national went missing in the surf at MacArthur Beach State Park in North Palm Beach. A teenage girl who was swimming with him and was also caught in a rip current but she was rescued by two college students who swim for Florida International University. She was taken to the hospital for treatment and was reported to be breathing normally. The body of the male was discovered on Sunday at around 12:30 PM EDT by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at the same beach.
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 Miami-Dade County | 2015-03-13 | Male | In Water | Direct | |
| Rip Current, Coastal Palm Beach County | 2015-03-14 | 21 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, March 2015
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: 568251, 568256, 568254.