Beachgoers and boaters will once again be plagued by choppy seas and a risk for strong and frequent rip currents at many beaches along the East Coast of the United States this week.

The same weather pattern responsible for new rounds of showers and thunderstorms in the Northeast and Southeast this week will stir rough seas at the Atlantic beaches.

The choppy conditions will batter the beaches of the Southeast from Florida to the southern Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The hazards will also spread to the beaches of the mid-Atlantic, southern Long Island and southeastern New England.

Beachgoers at Melbourne Beach and Daytona Beach; Florida; Tybee Island, Georgia; Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Wrightsville Beach and Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; Ocean City, Maryland; Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, are urged to only swim in the presence of lifeguards and heed all advisories.

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If caught in a rip current, do not panic or fight the current. Swim parallel to the coast until you escape the rip current. You should then swim at an angle, away from the current and toward the beach.

Swimmers who enter the water are also encouraged to not swim too far from the coast.

One of the three people who died after being pulled from the rough waters off the North Carolina coast last weekend was reportedly swimming a good distance from the beach.

Lifeguards noticed that the man was in distress offshore of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, on Saturday, July 21. He was not breathing and could not be revived when lifeguards reached him.

Operators of small craft should also use caution and may be forced to remain in port for a period of the week.

This week already will not be great for beachgoers in the Southeast with frequent rounds of showers and thunderstorms anticipated. Some of the rain can be heavy and lead to flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

In Cape Hatteras, 20.31 inches of rain fell in July, which shattered the previous wettest July on record of 17.09 inches from 1946.

July 2018 is now the second wettest month on record, with June 1949 and its 20.95 inches retaining this record.

Fewer showers and thunderstorms are anticipated at the northern mid-Atlantic and New England beaches this week. The bulk of the unsettled weather may remain inland.

Sweltering humidity will surge back across these beaches by midweek and tempt many to enter the water to cool off.

Anyone planning a trip to the East Coast beaches this week should download the AccuWeather app to stay alert of impending thunderstorms and rip current dangers.

As soon as thunder is heard, the risk of being struck by lightning is present. However, waves crashing onto the beach make it extremely difficult to hear nature’s warning.