Rip Current — Orange County Coastal, California

2017-10-06 · Orange County Coastal, California

Event narrative

A swimmer visiting from San Francisco was pulled out to sea and drowned by a strong rip current. Lifeguards reported peak wave heights of 8 ft. The body was found on Seal Beach a day later.

Wider weather episode

A southwesterly swell brought several days of high surf to the beaches of Orange and San Diego Counties between the 6th and 9th. Surf peaked on the 7th and 8th, with 6-8 ft sets north of Del Mar and max sets to 15 ft at the Wedge. It was widely reported that this was the biggest surf at the Wedge since Hurricane Marie in 2014. Significant coastal flooding impacted Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach and Capistrano Beach. A swimmer was killed on the 6th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 725309. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.