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447-547-647-747-040315-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
1008 AM EST TUE FEB 3 2026
...TUESDAY FEBRUARY 3 IS MARINE HAZARDS AND RIP CURRENT AWARENESS
DAY...
SINCE 1989, RIP CURRENTS AND ROUGH SURF HAVE CLAIMED NEARLY 190
LIVES ALONG EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA BEACHES, MAKING RIP CURRENTS THE
DEADLIEST WEATHER-RELATED HAZARD IN FLORIDA—CAUSING MORE
FATALITIES THAN HURRICANES, TORNADOES, AND LIGHTNING COMBINED.
RIP CURRENTS ARE POWERFUL, NARROW CHANNELS OF WATER THAT FLOW
AWAY FROM THE SHORE AND CAN QUICKLY PULL SWIMMERS BEYOND THE
SANDBAR INTO DEEPER WATER. EVEN STRONG SWIMMERS CAN BECOME
EXHAUSTED IF THEY TRY TO FIGHT THE CURRENT. NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE DATA SHOWS THAT NEARLY 90 PERCENT OF RIP CURRENT VICTIMS
ARE TOURISTS OR INLAND RESIDENTS, AND OVER 90 PERCENT ARE MALE.
BEFORE ENTERING THE WATER, BEACHGOERS SHOULD CHECK CONDITIONS
WITH BEACH SAFETY OFFICIALS, SWIM NEAR A LIFEGUARD, AND NEVER SWIM
ALONE. IF CAUGHT IN A RIP CURRENT, REMAIN CALM AND DON’T FIGHT
THE CURRENT. RIP CURRENTS RARELY PULL SWIMMERS FAR FROM SHORE.
RELAX, FLOAT, AND SWIM PARALLEL TO THE SHORELINE UNTIL FREE OF THE
CURRENT. IF YOU CANNOT ESCAPE, WAVE YOUR ARMS AND CALL FOR HELP.
EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA AVERAGES AROUND FIVE BOATING FATALITIES EACH
YEAR, WITH ONE TO TWO DEATHS TYPICALLY WEATHER-RELATED. THE MOST
COMMON WEATHER-RELATED BOATING ACCIDENTS OCCUR WHEN STRONG WINDS
FLOW OUT AHEAD OF APPROACHING THUNDERSTORMS, QUICKLY CREATING
HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS ON THE WATER. GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS BEHIND
COLD FRONTS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE WINTER AND SPRING MONTHS, ALSO
CONTRIBUTE TO OCCASIONAL BOATING ACCIDENTS.
BOATERS SHOULD CHECK THE DAILY MARINE FORECAST AND THE GRAPHICAL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK, WHICH HIGHLIGHTS THE RISK OF STRONG TO
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS, AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WIND AND WAVE
CONDITIONS. WHILE ON THE WATER, BOATERS SHOULD REMAIN WEATHER-
AWARE AND HAVE MULTIPLE WAYS TO RECEIVE WARNINGS, INCLUDING A NOAA
WEATHER RADIO OR MOBILE ALERTS, AND CLOSELY MONITOR CHANGING
CONDITIONS.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER
OUTLOOK PAGE IS AVAILABLE AT HTTPS://WEATHER.GOV/MLB/GHWO.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
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