Good Idea: Radar Monitors Rip Currents

The second "good idea" reported in the news this week hails from South Carolina. According to the Charleston Post and Courier (also USAToday), an array of radar antennas near Beaufort, SC and St. Catharines Island, GA will soon map the movement of the ocean out 130 miles. This could significantly help local rip current forecasting. The setup was done with the help of a Naval Research grant and the University of South Carolina. Look for the data to appear soon on the Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System website. It is the second-such system to be installed in the Southeast (there is currently a similar WERA radar installed in Florida and you can see real-time data on the University of Miami website). You can see photos of the installation here.

Rip Current After Hurricane Jeanne (NOAA)

Rip currents are a dangerous and not well-promoted risk, especially on East Coast beaches, and are estimated to kill 100 people per year (more than lightning!) This NOAA website is a clearinghouse for rip current information, including photos of rip currents, promotional posters and links to current forecasts. Despite the cheesy cartoons available, even weak rip currents are no joke, trust me from personal experience. They are very hard to predict and the weather doesn't always have a bearing on them.