Rip Current — Baldwin, Alabama

2001-09-13 · near Orange Beach, Baldwin, Alabama

Event narrative

A 67-year-old Florida man drowned while swimming in the western beach area of Orange Beach. The man was swimming approximately 50 feet offshore, between the first and second sandbars, when he was apparently pulled under by rough surf and strong rip currents. A person swimming nearby tried to rescue the man, but the currents were too strong for the individual to save the drowning man. Red Flags, which are used to alert swimmers to dangerous swimming and water conditions, were flying along area beaches. The rough surf and dangerous rip currents were the result, in part, to Tropical Storm Gabrielle, which was moving east across the far southeastern Gulf of Mexico.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5268221. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.