Messaging the Rip Current Threat from Distant Tropical Cyclones in the Carolinas

Rip currents are the number one weather-related killer in the Carolinas, and rip currents generated by swells from distant tropical cyclones pose a unique messaging challenge for the National Weather Service (NWS). A database of surf fatalities from Atlantic basin tropical cyclones was compiled, with 87 surf fatalities along the continental United States coastline between 2000 and 2022 attributed to distant storms, where direct impacts from the storm remained far from the local area. Hurricane Lorenzo in 2019 led to eight drownings along the United States East Coast despite remaining more than 3110 km (1680 n mi) offshore in the central Atlantic. The rip current impacts from Lorenzo led to efforts to increase communication and improve several products from the NWS offices in Wilmington and Morehead City, North Carolina. Efforts have also been made to increase the NWS reach into underserved communities and vulnerable populations, including translating rip current briefings into Spanish and developing a partnership with the North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. In the last few years, NWS Wilmington has begun messaging rip current outbreaks similar to other weather threats, such as potential severe weather events.