Rip Current — Southeast Suffolk, New York

2017-07-30 · Southeast Suffolk, New York

Event narrative

The body of a missing swimmer was found by park rangers and the US Coast Guard in the area of Smith Point Park. According to Suffolk County officials, the teenager and his girlfriend were swimming on Sunday after lifeguards went home for the evening, and the man became caught in a rip current. The girlfriend was rescued from the water but the teenager was not found until the next morning.

Wider weather episode

An unusually strong low pressure system tracking to the south and east of Long Island Saturday July 29th to Sunday July 30th, created an east to west sweep of 3 to 5 foot surf across Eastern Long Island beaches on Sunday July 30th. This resulted in moderate to strong long shore currents and localized rip currents.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 717739. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.