Rip Current — Escambia Coastal, Florida

2018-08-05 · Escambia Coastal, Florida

Event narrative

A 30 year old man was caught in a rip current near Opal Beach. He was pulled from the water by lifeguards and taken via helicopter to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Wider weather episode

It was a deadly 4 day period of rip currents across coastal Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle. From August 1st to August 5th, six people were killed along the stretch of coast from Dauphin Island, AL to Destin, FL. 3 occurred in Alabama and 3 occurred in Florida. Numerous water rescues occurred, resulting in several people being transported to local hospitals.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 767801. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.