Florida, 2017

Rip Current in Florida, July 24, 2017

July 24, 2017 · NWS TAE · 1 event in 1 county or zone

On July 24th, the Bay County Sheriff's office reported a drowning due to rip currents behind Coral Reef Condominiums on Thomas Drive. Single red flags were flying at the time of the incident and a high rip current risk statement had been issued for the day.

Where it happened

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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 TAE wrote it up.

On July 24th, the Bay County Sheriff's office reported a drowning due to rip currents behind Coral Reef Condominiums on Thomas Drive. Single red flags were flying at the time of the incident and a high rip current risk statement had been issued for the day.

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 Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 24, 9:08 AM EST, 2 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 24, 9:08 AM EST, 2 hours 52 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
1008 AM EDT Mon Jul 24 2017

.NEAR TERM [Through Today]...
Moist west-southwest flow will be in place today with a weak mid-
level trough stretching northeast to southwest just north of the
region. KTAE 12Z sounding indicates PWAT over 2 inches, with
1000-700mb flow over 15 knots. This is generally a favorable
pattern for high PoPs across the forecast area. This is born out
with radar this morning, as there is plenty of activity ongoing
along the panhandle coast. Sunshine is plentiful over inland
areas, so expect activity to spread inland by late morning, and
continue to push into Alabama and Georgia by early afternoon.
Overall, PoP forecast is in good shape. However, have upped the
rain chances right along the coast to reflect ongoing convection.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION [654 AM EDT]...

.SHORT TERM [Tonight Through Wednesday]...

In the upper levels a shortwave trough over the Northeast and Mid-
Atlantic will move out on Tuesday. At the surface a low just off
the Mid-Atlantic Coast will move out with the trailing cold front
lingering behind near the Carolinas. Nocturnal convection near the
coast will continue to bring an early start to showers and
thunderstorms over the region. Storms will start early in the
morning near the coast with activity moving inland and increasing
in the late morning and afternoon hours. POPs will be 50 to 65
percent for most of the region on Tuesday and Wednesday. Highs
will be around 90 with cloud cover expected most or all of the
daytime. Lows will be in the low to mid 70s.

.LONG TERM [Wednesday Night Through Monday]...

In the upper levels a trough will be over the Southeast by Friday.
At the surface a weak pressure gradient will be over the region.
Over the weekend a low may develop near the Carolinas. POPs will
be mainly in the 40 to 50 percent range in the daytime and near 30
percent at night. Highs will be in the low 90s. Lows will be in
the mid 70s.

.AVIATION [Through 12Z Tuesday]...

Scattered SHRA and TSRA moving eastward mainly across the Florida
zones this morning. Sct to numerous showers and thunderstorms
expected by this afternoon and should at least briefly impact each
terminal with gusty winds and possibly reduced vsby and cigs.

.MARINE...

Expect light to moderate westerly or southwesterly winds through
the workweek. The wet pattern will continue with scattered showers
and thunderstorms this week.

.FIRE WEATHER...

No fire weather concerns.

.HYDROLOGY...

A wetter than usual pattern will continue for the next several days.
However, storms are still expected to be scattered in nature. Thus,
expect widespread average rain amounts through the week on the order
of 1-3 inches. Locally higher amounts are possible in locations
receiving storms each day. At this time river flooding is not
anticipated, with the typical threat for isolated urban flooding
under slow moving storms.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...

Tallahassee   90  74  90  74  91 /  60  20  50  30  60
Panama City   88  78  88  77  88 /  60  40  60  30  40
Dothan        90  74  89  73  90 /  60  30  60  30  50
Albany        91  74  90  74  91 /  60  30  60  30  50
Valdosta      91  74  90  73  90 /  60  20  60  30  70
Cross City    89  75  90  74  91 /  60  30  40  20  40
Apalachicola  88  77  89  76  89 /  60  30  40  30  40

&&

.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

FL...None.
GA...None.
AL...None.
GM...None.

&&

NEAR TERM...Camp
SHORT TERM...McDermott
LONG TERM...McDermott
AVIATION...Barry
MARINE...McDermott
FIRE WEATHER...Barry
HYDROLOGY...Harrigan

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 24, 6:52 AM EST, 5 hours 8 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
752 AM EDT MON JUL 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0310 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 S FRINK               30.31N 85.21W
07/21/2017                   CALHOUN            FL   911 CALL CENTER

            SEVERAL LARGE TREES DOWN ON HIGHWAY 73 SOUTH OF THE
            JUNIPER CREEK BRIDGE. DELAYED REPORT. TIME BASED ON
            RADAR.

&&

GODSEY

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.

Rip Current, Coastal Bay

When
July 24, 12:00 PM EST
Where
Coastal Bay forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
30.238, -85.633 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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, Coastal Bay2017-07-24MaleUnknownDirect

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 Florida in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, July 2017

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: 702273.