Overview
- The National Weather Service has a high rip current risk and high surf advisories in place for much of Florida’s Atlantic coast, including Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, St. Lucie and Martin counties.
- Large breaking waves of 8 to 12 feet are forecast in Coastal Palm Beach County, and forecasters say entering the surf is strongly discouraged.
- Two recent deaths underscore the hazard, with Ryan Jennings dying after rescuing his children at Juno Beach and a separate swimmer pronounced dead after a Pompano Beach rescue.
- Ocean safety officials urge people to swim only at beaches with lifeguards on duty and to heed red and purple flags that warn of dangerous surf and marine life.
- Guidance stresses not fighting a rip, swimming parallel or with the current, then angling back to shore, and authorities note rip currents kill more people each year in Southeast Florida than all other weather hazards combined.