Rip Current — Pinellas, Florida

2014-06-13 · Pinellas, Florida

Event narrative

A local TV station relayed a report of two tourists from Georgia being pulled out into deeper water by a rip current. One of the tourists, was rescued and taken to a hospital for treatment. The other tourist, a 20 year old man, drowned.

Wider weather episode

A ridge axis over southern Florida produced westerly winds and onshore flow across west-central Florida. This contributed to the development of rip currents, which killed one person, and hospitalized another at Clearwater Beach.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 515407. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.