Rip Current — Kenosha, Wisconsin

2023-07-29 · Kenosha, Wisconsin

Event narrative

A cold front moved through on July 29th 2023 kicking waves up to around 3 feet during the afternoon. Winds relaxed to around 1 foot at the time of the incident, but lingering currents were still present. Witnesses stated the father and son were struggling to fight the currents, which were likely a combination of rip and longshore currents as winds were northeast during the event. The son was rescued by a nearby jet skier, but the father was unable to hold on and later drowned.

Wider weather episode

A cold front moved through on July 29th 2023 kicking waves up to around 3 feet during the afternoon. Winds relaxed to around 1 foot at the time of the incident, but lingering currents were present. Witnesses stated the father and son were struggling to fight the currents, which were likely a combination of rip and longshore currents as winds were northeast during the event. The son was rescued by a nearby jet skier, but the father was unable to hold on and later drowned.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1112979. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.