North Carolina issues rip current warning ahead of July Fourth weekend
Crews rescued 10 people from rip currents at Wrightsville Beach last weekend, prompting safety warnings as July Fourth beach crowds approach.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina officials are issuing a rip current warning ahead of the July Fourth weekend.
It comes after crews at Wrightsville Beach rescued 10 swimmers from rip currents last weekend, and those numbers are expected to get worse as the summer continues.
Rip currents are powerful currents of water that flow away from the shore. And while they’re most common during low tide, currents can form at all hours of the day.
How to spot a rip current
It’s easier to spot rip currents from an elevated position. Warning signs include calmer water between areas of breaking waves, a difference of color in the water or a line of sea foam or seaweed that’s moving forward.
If you get caught in one, the National Weather Service says the best way to get to safety is to swim parallel with the shoreline. Don’t try to fight the current.
Erik Heden, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Morehead City, advised to swim parallel to the shore until you get away from the rip current.
“Rip currents don’t pull you under. They’re very narrow,” Heden said. “They pull you out, and your natural reaction is to try to fight and go back to shore.”
Officials are also using new drones to save lives. They can use drones equipped with cameras and speakers to locate stranded swimmers.
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