Florida sees everything from flooding, to lightning, hurricanes and even tornadoes but the number one event with the most deaths year after year are rip currents. Across the state more than 100 people have died in rough surf conditions since 2014.
Rip currents are a strong, narrow current of water that
rushes away from the shore. Rip currents tend to form when conditions are rough
or the flow is out of the east. The sudden rush of water tends to pull swimmers
away from the shore.
During 2019, Florida saw zero deaths from the cold,
flooding, heat, tropical cyclones and tornadoes. 3 deaths were reported due to
lightning and 2 deaths were associated damaging wind events. 27 deaths were
reported due to high surf events or rip currents.
If you are caught in a rip current don’t panic. Try to swim parallel to shore until you feel the pull of water subside and then you can swim back to shore. Lifeguards at local beaches warn swimmers when rip currents are prevalent. They’ll fly red flags when conditions are rough and surfers and swimmers should use caution.
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