Rip Current — Coastal Broward County, Florida

2008-08-31 · Coastal Broward County, Florida

Event narrative

The outer edges of Hurricane Gustav produced easterly winds of 20 knots with higher gusts along the Atlantic coast Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties while Tropical Storm Hanna pushed swells toward the coast as well. This in turn created strong rip currents that drowned a 14 year old boy at John Lloyd State Park in Hollywood. The boy went missing at around 6:30 while swimming with his friend, and was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard the next morning. The friend was rescued by Ocean Rescue officials and taken to a local hospital. The 12 year old boy was in stable condition.

Wider weather episode

Strong winds caused by the outer circulation of Hurricane Gustav produced rip currents along the Atlantic coast of South Florida. These rip currents produced multiple fatalities, one injury, and caused around 15 rescues.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 131411. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.