Rip Current — Coastal Palm Beach County, Florida

2007-06-01 · Coastal Palm Beach County, Florida

Event narrative

A 27-year-old man visiting from Connecticut drowned after being caught in a rip current at the beach near 80 South Ocean Boulevard in Delray Beach. Two friends who were also caught in the rip current but escaped, along with lifeguards tried to save the victim to no avail.

The rip currents occurred the day before Tropical Storm Barry moved across Central Florida. Winds were out of the east to southeast at around 20 mph, leading to the formation of rip currents. Seas were also rough.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Barry formed in the extreme southeast Gulf of Mexico on June 1st and moved northeast across Central Florida during the day on June 2nd. Effects on South Florida were relatively minor, except for a tornado which struck Cutler Bay in Miami-Dade County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 36348. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.