Rip Currents: A Hurricane Hazard Hundreds of Miles Away

You do not have to be anywhere near a hurricane to be killed by one. A storm churning far offshore sends out swell that produces dangerous surf and rip currents along beaches hundreds of miles away, often under a clear, sunny sky. These long-distance deaths are a regular and tragic feature of every season. What a rip current is A rip current is a narrow, fast channel of water flowing away from shore. It does not pull you under — it pulls you out, faster than most people can swim back. Panic and exhaustion are what drown swimmers. How to spot one A gap of darker, calmer-looking water between b…