A combination of strong onshore winds and big waves today has prompted the National Weather Service to warn of a high risk of rip currents along the entire New Jersey Coast.
The weather service said waves in the surf today will be 4 feet to 7 feet high, in an easterly swell. Winds are forecast to be out of the northeast between 18 mph and 22 mph.
Rip currents form most commonly in areas near structures, such as jetties, piers, submerged pipes or even submerged holes in the sand. The currents rush back toward the sea, against the incoming surf, and can carry swimmers to deep water. Swimmers who attempt to swim against the current will tire easily.
A 10-year-old North Carolina boy was killed Sunday after being caught in a rip current off an Atlantic City beach.
The weather service’s advisory of a high risk indicates that the rip currents that develop today will be very strong and “life-threatening to anyone who enters the surf.”
Do not swim at an unguarded beach. Listen to lifeguard advisories and warnings about where and where not to swim.
The weather forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies and breezy conditions today, with high temperatures expected to be in the mid 70s inland and near 70 along the coast.
