Hurricane Lorenzo is making North Carolina beaches dangerous. Use ‘extreme caution’
Getting in the ocean in North Carolina might not be the best idea despite hot weather lingering into fall.
Hurricane Lorenzo has made water conditions dangerous at all North Carolina beaches, causing increased swells and likely rip currents, the National Weather Service wrote on Facebook.
The storm is 1,025 miles off the coast of the Azores islands as of Monday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center.
But North Carolina beaches could still see some impacts as far as surf conditions.
Almost the entire North Carolina coast is forecast for a high risk of rip currents on Monday, meaning the surf is dangerous for “all levels of swimmers,” the NWS says, and areas north of Cape Lookout could see breaking waves up to 7 feet high.
Beachgoers should use “extreme caution,” the NWS says.
The National Weather Service issued a beach hazards statement that will remain in effect through Monday evening for areas between Duck and Surf City.
Rip currents are most likely to occur within several hours before and after low tide, which is at 3 p.m., the NWS says, but they can still occur at any time.
If you get caught in a rip current the best thing to do is call and wave for help or swim parallel to the shore and out of the current then “follow breaking waves back to shore at an angle,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says.
Trying to swim against the rip current won’t work and will just tire you out, NOAA says.
This story was originally published September 30, 2019 at 3:02 PM.
