Rip Current — Okaloosa Coastal, Florida

2018-08-05 · Okaloosa Coastal, Florida

Event narrative

A 50 year old male from Little Elm, Texas was caught in a rip current while trying to save his two children in the surf. He was pulled from the water and transported to a local hospital where he later died.

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 767805. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.