A man died after being trapped within a rip current near Stuart Beach.
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 MLB wrote it up.
A man died after being trapped within a rip current near Stuart Beach.
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 Melbourne, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 30, 9:11 AM EST, 5 hours 19 minutes earlier.
East Central Florida Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Melbourne FL
911 AM EST Wed Dec 30 2020
.DISCUSSION...
...Well Above Normal Temperatures Will Continue Into This Weekend...
Currently...Steady state onshore winds are forecast to veer more
southerly during today with the chance of a few light showers and
sprinkles to move inland. measurable amounts are generally not
expected as the overall environment remains on the dry side.
Breezy winds will continue through the afternoon, particularly from
Melbourne southward, as the pressure gradient tightens and fuller
mixing occurs by late morning.
from prev disc...
Overnight, models are hinting at some light showers developing
offshore for the Treasure Coast and pushing towards the coast near
daybreak, so will have to see whether these showers persist long
enough to impact the coastal areas. Warming trend continuing, as
highs reach the mid to upper 70s this afternoon. Overnight lows in
the low to mid 60s, except along the Space and Treasure Coast, where
onshore flow will keep temperatures in the upper 60s.
Thursday-Saturday...The axis of a strong mid level ridge will remain
parked from Cuba NE-ward across the Bahamas, with its western flank
over Florida, keeping the weather dry and warm for most of the D2-4
period. A strong western Atlantic surface high will keep warm and
breezy SE-S flow in place. The model consensus now shows the ever-
reluctant cold front to reach the northern part of ECFL late Sat
night, just prior to sunrise. This is, yet again, slightly slower
than indicated 24h ago.
The forecast now shows 20-30 POPs across the northern third CWA Sat
afternoon (which may still be a bit optimistic given the inexorable
slower trend of the past week), increasing to 20S/40N from Osceola/
Brevard north Sat night. The main story will continue to be well
above normal temps through the period with L80s for maxes and 60s
for mins (U50s reaching NW of I-4 Sat night may be a bit premature).
&&
.AVIATION...
VFR conditions prevailing today. Some light, onshore moving showers
will be possible at coastal sites, but is too low confidence to
include in the TAFs at this time. Breezy conditions mainly along the
coast with speeds 8-11kt across the interior and up to 18kt along
the Treasure Coast, with higher gusts. Winds will decrease generally
around 00Z for inland locations, but will remain elevated along the
coast overnight.
&&
.MARINE...
Current-Tonight...Hazardous boating conditions persisting. E winds
this morning veering SE through tonight, as surface high pressure
stretches into the Atlantic from the eastern seaboard. Winds 15-
20kts expected for nearshore Brevard and the Volusia waters, but
around 20kts with higher gusts for offshore Brevard and the Treasure
Coast. Seas 5-7ft, with 8ft possible in the Gulf Stream. Small craft
should exercise caution in the nearshore Volusia waters for seas 4-
6ft.
Thursday-Sunday...A fresh SE breeze Thu-early Fri will gradually
slacken as it veers to south by Sat and SW Sat night ahead of the
cold FROPA progged for Sun evening. Seas 5-6ft near shore/7-8ft
offshore Thu-Thu night, subsiding to 3-5ft near shore/5-6ft offshore
by Fri evening. Behind the front, expected seas 3-4ft near shore,
and up to 6ft offshore, especially in the Gulf Stream.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DAB 76 63 80 66 / 20 10 10 10
MCO 78 62 82 65 / 10 0 10 0
MLB 77 67 80 69 / 10 10 10 10
VRB 77 67 81 69 / 10 10 10 10
LEE 78 62 82 65 / 10 10 10 0
SFB 78 63 82 66 / 10 10 10 0
ORL 78 64 82 67 / 10 10 10 0
FPR 77 66 80 69 / 10 10 10 10
&&
.MLB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...None.
AM...Small Craft Advisory until 4 AM EST Friday for Volusia-Brevard
County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm.
Small Craft Advisory until 4 PM EST Friday for Sebastian Inlet
to Jupiter Inlet 20-60 nm-Volusia-Brevard County Line to
Sebastian Inlet 20-60 nm.
Small Craft Advisory until 4 AM EST Friday for Sebastian Inlet
to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm.
Small Craft Advisory until 4 PM EST Friday for Flagler Beach to
Volusia-Brevard County Line 20-60 nm.
&&
JP/MWHazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Melbourne FL 433 AM EST Wed Dec 30 2020 AMZ550-552-555-570-572-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141- 144-147-310000- Flagler Beach to Volusia-Brevard County Line 0-20 nm-Volusia- Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 0-20 nm- Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 0-20 nm-Flagler Beach to Volusia- Brevard County Line 20-60 nm-Volusia- Brevard County Line to Sebastian Inlet 20-60 nm- Sebastian Inlet to Jupiter Inlet 20-60 nm-Inland Volusia- Northern Lake-Orange-Seminole-Southern Brevard-Osceola- Indian River-Okeechobee-St. Lucie-Martin-Coastal Volusia- Southern Lake-Northern Brevard- 433 AM EST Wed Dec 30 2020 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. .HIGH WIND IMPACT... Breezy east to southeast winds around 15mph will produce gusts up to 25 mph today along the Treasure Coast. Winds will cause rough chop on area lakes, rivers, and the intracoastal waters and small boats will be especially prone to capsizing. .RIP CURRENT IMPACT... Strong northward flowing longshore current and a moderate risk of rip currents expected today. A strong longshore current can knock swimmers off the sandbar into deeper water and make them more susceptible to rip currents. While rip currents will be present all day, the highest risk will be from 11AM this morning to 5PM this afternoon. Always swim near a lifeguard and never swim alone. .WIND AND SEA IMPACT... East winds this morning veering progressively southeast into tonight. Winds 15 to 20 knots, except for the offshore Brevard and Treasure Coasts where winds will be around 20 knots. Seas 5 to 7 feet, but up to 8 feet possible in the Gulf Stream. A Small Craft Advisory is in effect for everywhere except waters less than 20 nautical miles from the Volusia coast. There, winds will remain 15 knots or less and seas 4 to 6 feet. Small craft should exercise caution in this zone. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. At least a moderate risk of life-threatening rip currents will continue this week. Hazardous boating conditions persisting through the end of the week ahead of an approaching cold front. Breezy conditions continuing as winds veer from east to south through Friday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed today and tonight. Leahy
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
A man in his mid 50s was pulled from the surf near Stuart Beach and was not able to be revived. The drowning was attributed to a rip current, however there was also rough surf conditions occurring.
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, Martin | 2020-12-30 | 55 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, December 2020
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: 926907.