Hurricane forecasters on Friday were tracking a tropical depression in the Caribbean that's expected to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. (1 p.m. satellite image via NOAA)
image via National Weather Service
image via National Hurricane Center
Hurricane forecasters on Friday were tracking a tropical depression in the Caribbean that's expected to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. (1 p.m. satellite image via NOAA)
A storm heading for Florida could create dangerous rip currents along Louisiana's southeastern coast, forecasters said Friday.
Related: See the latest forecast for the storm.
The storm currently is a tropical depression in the Caribbean Sea and is expected to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall in south Florida, according to the latest track from the National Hurricane Center.
The storm is not expected to be a significant threat to Louisiana on its current path.
However, it is forecast to create large swells and waves in the Gulf of Mexico by the middle of next week, according to Danielle Manning, a lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Slidell. Those will likely result in hazardous conditions across the coastal waters, especially about 20 nautical miles from shore, she said.
Some of the waves and swells could reach the open shoreline and create dangerous rip currents along Grand Isle in Louisiana and Ship Island in Mississippi, most likely from Tuesday through Thursday.
However, the timing could change.
In the past, the western end of Grand Isle is where rip currents have developed because the water is deeper, she said.
Rip currents are relatively rare in southeast Louisiana because they occur around unprotected beachlines, and most of the coast is protected by swamps and marsh, she said.
A rip current is like a shallow river or channel of water on the surface of the ocean, according to the National Weather Service. Rip currents are strong and can pull you away from the shore even if you are a good swimmer.
Think of them like a natural treadmill that travels at an average speed of 1 to 2 feet per second, officials said.
image via National Weather Service
A common cause along the Gulf Coast, forecasters said, is high waves that cause water to flow parallel to the shore and then seaward in a narrow channel where there is a break in the sandbar, which is a ridge of underwater sand just off the beach. This is called a rip current.
Speeds in this channel can reach several miles per hour. Their strength is primarily dependent on the amount of water that is transported onto the beaches by breaking waves, but can also be affected by tidal conditions.
Swimmers get caught in rip currents every year. If you are at a beach that flies warning flags, check them before you get in the water. A yellow flag indicates a medium hazard, a single red flag indicates a high hazard and two red flags mean the water is closed to the public.
Here's a video that shows what you should do. (Can't see it? Watch here.)
If you get caught in a rip current, do not try to swim directly toward shore because it is too difficult and you will tire yourself out.
Instead, turn sideways to the shore and wade or swim until you are out of the rip current. Then, move back toward the shore at an angle away from the rush of water, officials said.
If you can float, you might even just relax and "go with the flow." Rip currents do not usually go out very far, officials said. Let the rip current carry you until it slows down a short distance offshore. Then swim toward the beach away from the rip current. Think of it as swimming toward the breaking waves.
Read more about rip currents from the National Weather Service.
image via National Hurricane Center
Hurricane forecasters on Friday were tracking five systems in the Atlantic and Caribbean during what has historically been the busiest time of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Related: Things you can do now to prep for hurricane season
In the last 100 years, the tropics have been the most active in August, September and October, with Sept. 10 being the peak of the season, according to federal forecasters. About 80% of the systems that have hit the Gulf Coast formed during this time, according to the National Weather Service in Slidell.
So far, there have been seven named storms this season - Alex, Bonnie, Colin, Danielle, Earl, Fiona and Gaston. The next available name is Hermine.
The active systems Friday morning were:
Hurricane season ends Nov. 30, but storms can form any time.
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Carlie Kollath Wells is a breaking news reporter at NOLA.com and The Times-Picayune.
Hermine is the second tropical storm and the fifth system active in the Atlantic Ocean.
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