Guam, 2016

Rip Current in Guam, October 20 to 23, 2016

October 20 to 23, 2016 · NWS GUM · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Long period swell from distant Typhoon Haima. Caused dangerous rip currents across the Marianas.

The toll

Deaths
2
Injuries
1
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 GUM wrote it up.

Long period swell from distant Typhoon Haima. Caused dangerous rip currents across the Marianas.

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 Guam wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 19, 6:30 AM UTC, 7 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 19, 6:30 AM UTC, 7 hours 30 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tiyan GU
430 PM ChST Wed Oct 19 2016

.Synopsis...
Isolated showers and thunderstorms are seen across the Marianas
this afternoon. Mostly cloudy skies with gentle northeast winds
prevail across the region.

&&

.Discussion...
A weak trough will continue to slowly move through the area
through Thursday night, maintaining the risk of thunderstorms
until early Friday morning. Thunderstorms are seen this afternoon
over the coastal waters to the south-southwest of Guam, Rota and
Tinian. Expect improving conditions through the night Thursday
with only isolated showers and partly cloudy skies likely by
Friday morning.

&&

.Marine/Surf...
Ritidian buoy readings shows combined seas have subsided to around
6 feet this afternoon, with a westerly component of about 3 feet.
Latest surf observation from Ypao beach reports max surf heights
of around 4 feet. Therefore, decided to cancel the High Surf
Advisory.

&&

.Eastern Micronesia...
The weather and gusty winds have settled down across the area today.
A tropical disturbance is centered NW of Kwajalein near 10N165E, and
cloudiness with patchy showers and isolated thunderstorms are in a
large area over Kosrae State and the RMI. GFS Model indicates the
disturbance will weaken as it moves westward, but it will need to be
monitored for possible development. Also, a few showers linger over
Pohnpei State as a surface trough with some thunderstorms moves into
Chuuk State. Patchy areas of showers are expected across the whole
area during the next couple days, then drier weather should filter
in from the east during this weekend.

Inundation is still possible tonight at Majuro during high tides.
Majuro/Kalo Buoy shows seas have subsided a bit more, with combined
seas near 4 feet this afternoon.

&&

.Western Micronesia...
Chuuk discussion included with Eastern Micronesia above.

The showery monsoon weather remains west of Koror and Yap with drier
weather and southeast winds building into far Western Micronesia.
Spotty convection is still possible the next couple of days but no
major weather features are otherwise expected through the weekend.

Northwest swell is subsiding slowly below 6 feet as STY Haima moves
away, and surf advisories are no longer in effect at Yap and Koror.

&&

.GUM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GU...None.
Marianas Waters...None.
&&

Kleeschulte/Simpson

Event by event

1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.

Rip Current, Guam

When
October 20, 12:00 AM GST to October 23, 12:00 AM GST
Where
Guam forecast zone
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
Newspaper

On the morning of the 21st of October around 7:30 a.m. a man in his late 40s was|pulled from the water near Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort in Tamuning. After the man was taken from the water CPR was performed on him on route to the hospital. The man survived.

On the 22nd of October, two people were found face down by fishermen in the water off of Ritidian Point at around 10:35 a.m.. Both were tourist from South Korea visiting the island. One person was a male of 31 years old and the other a female of 27 years of age.

At the time of the incidents, there were no watches, or advisories out for hazardous|surf. Long period west swell from distant Super Typhoon Haima was impacting the area. Data from Ritidian Buoy indicated a swell between 12 to 18 seconds from the west. While the maximum surf generated by the swell probably was only 5 feet, the long period of the swell could have produced some rip currents.

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Rip Current, Guam2016-10-2031MaleIn WaterDirect
Rip Current, Guam2016-10-2027FemaleIn WaterDirect

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

More

Every storm in Guam in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Guam, October 2016

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: 664079.