Florida, 2025Rip Current in Florida, May 17, 2025
May 17, 2025 · NWS TAE · 1 event in 1 county or zone
The Panama City Beach Safety team responded to a swimmer in distress before 4 pm near the Tropic Winds condos on Front Beach Road. The 65 year old male was swimming in unguarded waters when he was caught in a rip current.
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- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
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- None recorded
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- 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.
The Panama City Beach Safety team responded to a swimmer in distress before 4 pm near the Tropic Winds condos on Front Beach Road. The 65 year old male was swimming in unguarded waters when he was caught in a rip current. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital. Single red flags were flying.
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 May 17, 1:00 PM EST, 3 hours earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 17, 1:00 PM EST, 3 hours before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
Issued by National Weather Service Jacksonville FL
200 PM EDT Sat May 17 2025
...New NEAR TERM, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, AVIATION, MARINE, FIRE WEATHER, HYDROLOGY...
.NEAR TERM...
(Through Sunday)
Issued at 136 PM EDT Sat May 17 2025
Another unseasonably hot day is expected on Sunday with high
temperatures in the 90s for most of the area away from the
immediate coast. While still hot, temps should be a couple of
degrees cooler than previous days as the ridging overhead weakens
just a bit due to a shortwave moving across the southeast US. This
shortwave along with an existing outflow boundary draped across
the northern portions of the area could lead to scattered showers
and thunderstorms developing Sunday afternoon with gusty winds the
primary threat.
&&
.SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM...
(Sunday night through Monday night)
Issued at 136 PM EDT Sat May 17 2025
A continued hot period of weather through Tuesday, with a cold front
approaching on Wednesday with a chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Patchy fog is likely each morning through Wednesday. Lower afternoon
dew points due to mixing will limit heat indices/apparent temps from
Monday through Tuesday afternoons, despite highs in the mid-90s away
from the coast. Some storms on Wednesday could be strong to severe,
so stay tuned as the timing and threats become more clear. A high
risk of rip currents also returns by midweek. After the passage of
the cold front, cooler and drier weather returns Thursday.
&&
.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 136 PM EDT Sat May 17 2025
A few showers and storms will be possible near the northern sites
this afternoon, but confidence is too low to include in the taf
for now. Otherwise, VFR conditions are expected through the rest
of the evening before another blanket of MVFR to IFR ceilings and
patchy fog settle in over the taf sites in the early morning
hours. Conditions should improve to VFR once again a few hours
after sunrise.
&&
.MARINE...
Issued at 136 PM EDT Sat May 17 2025
High pressure centered just southeast of the waters will continue a
prolonged period of southwest flow, which will tend to be maximized
during the daytime hours near the coast due to the seabreeze. Winds
will increase out of the southwest ahead of a cold front Wednesday
and remain elevated in the wake of the frontal passage on Thursday.
There is a low probability of winds meeting Small Craft Advisory
levels during this time frame, when seas will peak in the 3 to 5
foot range j ust offshore. A chance of showers and thunderstorms
with the passage of the cold front on Wednesday and Wednesday night.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 136 PM EDT Sat May 17 2025
Southwesterly to westerly transport winds around 15 mph and
mixing heights increasing to 5,000-6,000 feet each afternoon will
result in high dispersions across inland areas with good
dispersions near the coast. Isolated showers and storms will be
possible across the AL and GA zones Sunday afternoon, mainly
north of a Dothan to Fitzgerald line. Gusty erratic winds and
dangerous lightning will be the primary threats with stronger
storms.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...
Issued at 136 PM EDT Sat May 17 2025
No riverine or flash flooding concerns over the next several days,
given light rainfall amounts across the region as well as upstream.
&&
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
Spotter activation is not requested. However, spotters are always
encouraged to safely report significant weather conditions when they
occur by calling the office or tweeting us @NWSTallahassee.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Tallahassee 71 95 70 95 / 0 10 0 0
Panama City 73 85 73 86 / 0 0 0 0
Dothan 71 92 69 93 / 10 20 0 0
Albany 72 94 71 95 / 10 30 0 0
Valdosta 71 96 70 97 / 0 20 0 0
Cross City 68 91 68 92 / 0 0 0 0
Apalachicola 72 84 72 84 / 0 0 0 0
&&
.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...High Rip Current Risk through late tonight for FLZ108-112-114.
GA...None.
AL...None.
GM...High Rip Current Risk through late tonight for GMZ735.
&&
NEAR TERM...Merrifield
SHORT TERM...LF
LONG TERM....LF
AVIATION...Merrifield
MARINE...LF
FIRE WEATHER...Merrifield
HYDROLOGY...LF
Rip Current, Coastal Bay
- When
- May 17, 4:00 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 Panama City Beach Safety team responded to a swimmer in distress before 4 pm near the Tropic Winds condos on Front Beach Road. The 65 year old male was swimming in unguarded waters when he was caught in a rip current. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital. Single red flags were flying.
- 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.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Vermont, May 17, 2025$806,000 · 1.75 in hail · 22 events
- Tornado and Hail in Oklahoma, May 17 to 18, 2025$20,000 · EF1 · 71 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 17 to 18, 2025$212,000 · 2 in hail · 31 events
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Mississippi, May 17, 2025$515,000 · 2 in hail · 8 events
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Puerto Rico, May 17 to 20, 2025$205,000 · 25 events
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 17 to 18, 2025$96,000 · 52 kt wind · 18 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 17, 2025$24,000 · 1 in hail · 20 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 17, 2025$33,000 · 1 in hail · 9 events
- Damaging Winds in Alabama, May 17, 2025$32,000 · 52 kt wind · 4 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 17, 2025$3,000 · 1.75 in hail · 19 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Alabama, May 17, 20251.25 in hail · 18 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 17, 2025$10,000 · 1.25 in hail · 17 events
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: 1245439.