PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – A combination of high surf, rip currents, and gusty winds created hazardous coastal weather conditions on Saturday for beachgoers and boaters in South Florida.
The choppy conditions include 6-9 feet waves breaking at the beach and gusts exceeding 30 mph. Random showers rolling in off the Atlantic may put an end to Miami’s longest dry streak since 1999.
For more information about the weather including a live radar and the hour-by-hour forecast in South Florida, visit this page.
Here is how to deal with the dangers of rip currents:
- Those who do not know how to swim are not safe in shallow water when there are rip currents, so they have to avoid the risk of being dragged out into deeper waters and drowning.
- Ask lifeguards at the beach about the conditions before entering the water and obey their instructions and orders.
- Never swim alone and stay at least 100 feet away from piers and jetties since there are permanent rip currents alongside these structures.
- Rip currents don’t pull swimmers under, so it is best not to swim against the current, but out the current in a direction following the shoreline, or toward breaking waves, and then at an angle toward the beach. Floating or treading water if the current circulates back toward shore also helps.
- Throw the rip current victim something that floats, and do not enter the water without a flotation device. If a lifeguard is not present, call 911.
Useful link: NOAA and USLA Rip Current Safety Toolkit