Alabama rip currents and high surf
Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 4 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 67 rip current and surf records in Alabama from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 2.6 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 9, 2013 rip current in Baldwin County: 4 deaths across 2 records. Alabama ranks 14th of 34 states and territories by count and 15th of 34 per square mile.
Rip currents and high surf in Alabama, 1996 to 2026
Surf records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 671996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 2.6average
- Deaths
- 6518 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $11Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 20076 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are rip current and surf records common in Alabama?
Alabama averages about 2.6 rip current and surf records a year since 2000, 14th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2007 (6). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Alabama records 13 rip current and surf records since 1996, 15th of 34 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Alabama have the most rip current and surf records?
Per square mile, Baldwin County leads Alabama: 50 days with a rip current or surf record since 1996, 31.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Baldwin County has the most surf records (52 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the surf season in Alabama?
Alabama's rip current and surf records by month. The busiest month is June (14 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1 · Feb 0 · Mar 2 · Apr 8 · May 9 · Jun 14 · Jul 8 · Aug 12 · Sep 8 · Oct 4 · Nov 1 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest rip current and surf records in Alabama?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-06-09 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Lower Baldwin One storm episode: 2 records, 2013-06-09 to 2013-06-10; the totals are the episode's. Stronger winds associated with passing scattered thunderstorms combined with strong outgoing astronomical tides produced a series of deadly rip currents along the Gulf-side beaches of Alabama on Sunday June 9th and Monday June 10th. | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2018-08-02 | Rip CurrentMobile County · forecast zone Mobile Coastal One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places, 2018-08-02 to 2018-08-05; the totals are the episode's. It was a deadly 4 day period of rip currents across coastal Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle. From August 1st to August 5th, six people were killed along the stretch of coast from Dauphin Island, AL to Destin, FL. 3 occurred in Alabama and 3 occurred in Florida. Numerous water rescues occurred, resulting in ... | 3 | 1 | – | |
| 2012-04-18 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Lower Baldwin One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Strong rip currents developed causing a death and an injury. | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2017-10-09 | Hurricane Nate · Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal Two men drowned near Fort Morgan while attempting to rescue a child who was in distress in the surf. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-09-25 | Hurricane Katrina · Rip CurrentGulf Shrs, Baldwin County One named storm filed by several offices: 2 records in 2 episodes; the totals are the storm's. A male in his early twenties drowned in rough surf near Gulf Shores. Red Flags were flying warning people to stay out of the water. The man was swimming with three other males. They may have been in the country illegally as the other males left. The identity of the drowning victim is still unknown and his age is ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-04-09 | Rip CurrentMobile County · forecast zone Lower Mobile Two male teenagers from Mobile were swimming in waist deep water off of Dauphin Island when they were swept out by strong rip currents. Both teenagers drowned as a result. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-07-02 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Lower Baldwin A woman and 3 to 4 year old child drowned after being caught in a rip current near a pier close to the four season condo. A third person was injured and was taken to an area hospital after entering the surf to rescue the woman and child. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-06-22 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal One storm episode: 2 records, 2023-06-22 to 2023-06-23; the totals are the episode's. The combination of strong winds and increased swell led to increased rip currents along Gulf Coast beaches. On June 22nd, a 47 year old man from Georgia died after rescuing his son at Gulf State Park. On June 23rd, a man died trying to rescue his son from a rip current. The son made it to safety. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-05-24 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Lower Baldwin One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Two people drowned along the Alabama beaches. The first was swimming in rough water near Gulf State Park in Foley. Red flags were flying warning of dangerous surf. He was pulled from the water and died. A young boy drowned in swift current near the public beach on Dauphin Island. He was pulled away from the shore by ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-08-17 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal Two brothers, one from TN and one from GA, drowned in rip currents in Gulf Shores. | 2 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest rip current and surf records in Alabama
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-11-09 | Tropical Storm Ida · High SurfBaldwin County · forecast zone Lower Baldwin | 0 | 0 | $11M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are rip current and surf records becoming more frequent in Alabama?
Alabama's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Alabama | United States | Alabama's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 5 | 1,021 | 0.49% |
| 2000s | 24 | 4,386 | 0.55% |
| 2010s | 25 | 5,810 | 0.43% |
| 2020-26 | 13 | 2,346 | 0.55% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent rip current and surf records in Alabama
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-12 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-06-23 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-06-22 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-03-05 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-07-31 | Rip CurrentMobile County · forecast zone Mobile Coastal | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-05-21 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-04-13 | Rip CurrentMobile County · forecast zone Mobile Coastal | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2021-08-20 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-08-17 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-06-09 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-06-06 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2020-08-29 | Rip CurrentBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin Coastal | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Next
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