Persistently strong onshore wind flow led to rip currents along the Atlantic beaches of South Florida in mid April.
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The episode as NWS MFL wrote it up.
Persistently strong onshore wind flow led to rip currents along the Atlantic beaches of South Florida in mid April.
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 Apr 12, 11:37 AM EST, 2 hours 23 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Miami FL
1237 PM EDT Sun Apr 12 2026
...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, AVIATION, MARINE, BEACHES...
.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 1153 AM EDT Sun Apr 12 2026
- Dangerous rip currents will continue at all east coast
beaches of South Florida through at least Monday evening.
- Gusty winds in excess of 30 mph expected across south
Florida today, especially along the immediate east coast.
- Marine conditions will be hazardous to small craft through
early-week.
&&
.SHORT TERM...
(This afternoon through Monday)
Issued at 1153 AM EDT Sun Apr 12 2026
Stout mid-level ridging (500mb height values around the 97th-99th
percentile when compared to historical norms) continues to
gradually settle in across the region as 500mb wind flow remains
out of a northeasterly direction. Deep-layer ridging also extends
down to the surface as the axis of surface ridging currently situated
across the western Atlantic waters continues to usher in a dry
airmass into the region with precipitable water values (0.6-0.8
inches) near or just above the 10th percentile for today's date.
Winds will be strongest today with gusts generally around 25-30
mph, though occasional gusts could be closer to 35 mph, especially
along the immediate east coast and at non-sheltered locations. On
Monday, winds and gusts should be about 5 mph weaker across south
Florida. Outside of cumulus clouds, the ridging pattern and dry
air will result in benign conditions with no meaningful precip
expected outside of a few sprinkles.
A temperature gradient will continue across the region both during
the day and overnight as onshore winds keep temperatures along the
east coast cooler during the day and warmer overnight. High
temperatures today and tomorrow will range from the upper 70s to
low 80s across the east coast metro to upper 80s across the
western half of South Florida. Overnight temperatures will range
from the low 70s along the immediate east coast to upper 50s to
low 60s across inland portions of the region tonight into early
Monday morning.
&&
.LONG TERM...
(Monday night through next Saturday)
Issued at 1153 AM EDT Sun Apr 12 2026
Deep layer ridging and copious amounts of dry air will remain
throughout the vertical atmospheric column for much of the
upcoming work week. Although surface ridging will remain
entrenched across the region over the next several days, a
weakening pressure gradient will result in a gradual relaxing of
surface winds during the early week period. Subsidence, low
precipitable water values compared to historical climatological
norms, and a lack of any rainfall & sufficient cloud cover will
result in a continued warming trend across the majority of the
region with the potential of high temperatures in the low 90s
across the western half of South Florida by mid- week. An onshore
breeze will keep high temperatures slightly cooler along the east
coast but temperatures in the middle to upper 80s will be
possible across the east coast metro during the second half of the
week.
Mid-level ridging will gradually elongate and flatten during the
second half of the week as transient lobes (troughing) of mid-
level vorticity advect eastward across the central United States.
At the surface, residual dry air and surface ridging will keep
conditions on the dry side with the stretch of minimal rain
chances continuing into the end of the extended period.
Deterministic and ensemble guidance continues to hint at the
potential of a lobe of vorticity being pinched off from the
larger trough axis advecting into the western Atlantic while the
axis itself continues to advect northeastward. Model guidance
continues to highlight the potential of this cut-off low feature
being steered back towards the vicinity of our region early next
week. This remains the main source of forecast uncertainty late in
the period. Ensembles agree on the continual weakening of the
trough as it moves westward, but the timing and spatial extent of
the moisture advection is less clear. Generally speaking though,
by the end of the week there may be some more shower activity
along the east coast in the mornings, with some scattered
seabreeze convection across the interior and west coast in the
afternoons.
&&
.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 1153 AM EDT Sun Apr 12 2026
VFR conditions prevail through the period with breezy easterly
winds prevailing. Gusts up to 25 kts will remain possible this
afternoon.
&&
.MARINE...
Issued at 1153 AM EDT Sun Apr 12 2026
Solid advisory levels winds with occasional gusts at the top-end
of advisory levels are expected for the rest of today across
Atlantic waters, with only a slight decrease on Monday. Seas will
reach their peak by tonight and crest in the 6-8 foot range across
the Gulf Stream. While winds and seas will subside a bit for the
remainder of the week, cautionary conditions will continue across
the Atlantic as winds and gusts likely won't drop below 15 knots
through the end of the week.
&&
.BEACHES...
Issued at 1153 AM EDT Sun Apr 12 2026
While the strongest and most frequent rip currents are expected
today and tomorrow, the high risk for deadly rip currents will
most likely continue for much of the week. The strong onshore flow
around the surface ridge will also result in elevated surf, with
breakers around 4-6 ft through Monday.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Miami 79 69 80 70 / 0 0 0 0
West Kendall 82 65 82 67 / 0 0 0 0
Opa-Locka 82 68 82 70 / 0 0 0 0
Homestead 81 69 81 70 / 0 0 0 0
Fort Lauderdale 78 69 79 71 / 0 0 0 0
N Ft Lauderdale 79 69 79 70 / 0 0 0 0
Pembroke Pines 82 69 83 71 / 0 0 0 0
West Palm Beach 79 68 79 70 / 0 0 0 0
Boca Raton 79 69 79 70 / 0 0 0 0
Naples 87 64 87 66 / 0 0 0 0
&&
.MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...High Rip Current Risk through Monday evening for FLZ168-172-173.
AM...Small Craft Advisory until 8 PM EDT Monday for AMZ630-651-671.
Small Craft Advisory until 8 AM EDT Monday for AMZ650-670.
GM...None.
&&
SHORT TERM...Hadi
LONG TERM....Hadi
AVIATION...HadiThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
A man was resuscitated on scene and rushed to the hospital after being pulled from the water on Hollywood Beach near Charleston Street on Sunday.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, April 2026
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: 1332902.