Florida rip currents and high surf
Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 33 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 850 rip current and surf records in Florida from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 30 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 24, 2023 rip current in Bay County: 7 deaths across 5 records. Florida ranks 2nd of 34 states and territories by count and 5th of 34 per square mile.
Rip currents and high surf in Florida, 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
- 8501996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 30average
- Deaths
- 547496 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $40Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 200750 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 Florida?
Florida averages about 30 rip current and surf records a year since 2000, 2nd of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2007 (50). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Florida records 158 rip current and surf records since 1996, 5th 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 Florida have the most rip current and surf records?
Per square mile, Flagler County leads Florida: 46 days with a rip current or surf record since 1996, 94.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Palm Beach County has the most surf records (112 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 Florida?
Florida's rip current and surf records by month. The busiest month is May (143 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 16 · Feb 15 · Mar 59 · Apr 88 · May 143 · Jun 98 · Jul 92 · Aug 70 · Sep 117 · Oct 84 · Nov 39 · Dec 29 (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 Florida?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-06-24 | Rip CurrentBay County · forecast zone Coastal Bay One storm episode: 5 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Persistent moderate onshore flow led to numerous rip currents for a multi-day period. The strongest rip current occurred between June 15-24 where unfortunately several fatalities occurred. On June 21st, a 53 year old male from South Carolina drowned in a rip current behind Pelican Walk Rentals, 6905 Thomas Drive. ... | 7 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-08-31 | Tropical Storm Fay · Rip CurrentBroward County · forecast zone Coastal Broward County One named storm filed by several offices: 5 records in 4 episodes, 2008-08-31 to 2008-09-14; the totals are the storm's. Strong winds caused by the outer circulation of Hurricane Gustav produced rip currents along the Atlantic coast of South Florida. These rip currents produced multiple fatalities, one injury, and caused around 15 rescues. | 6 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-06-21 | Rip CurrentBay County · forecast zone Coastal Bay One storm episode: 3 records, 2024-06-21 to 2024-06-23; the totals are the episode's. On June 20, a 19-year-old man vacationing from Oklahoma got caught in a rip current and drowned behind Sharky's during the afternoon. Single red beach flags were flying at the time and a rip current statement was in effect. On June 21, three males visiting from Alabama got caught in a rip current and all drowned. Two ... | 6 | 0 | – | |
| 2003-06-08 | Rip CurrentInlet Beach, Walton County At least 28 people were rescued from rough surf off the Walton County beaches. Six persons drowned. Reported by the Walton County EMA. | 6 | 0 | – | |
| 2019-07-14 | Rip CurrentWalton County · forecast zone South Walton One storm episode: 4 records in 2 places, 2019-07-14 to 2019-07-15; the totals are the episode's. The South Walton Fire Department Beach Safety Director confirmed the death of a 53 year old male from Tennessee as a direct result of being caught in a rip current. From some accounts, it's possible the individual was trying to rescue his daughter. A high risk of rip currents was in affect at the time. In addition, ... | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-05-23 | Rip CurrentVolusia County · forecast zone Coastal Volusia County One storm episode: 4 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Enhanced onshore flow created rough surf and numerous strong rip currents that kept local beach patrols extremely busy during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Beach safety and local news media indicated four rip current related drownings and over 500 ocean rescues, primarily in Volusia and Brevard Counties. | 4 | 7 | – | |
| 2013-06-09 | Rip CurrentWalton County · forecast zone South Walton One storm episode: 5 records in 2 places, 2013-06-09 to 2013-06-11; the totals are the episode's. The Panama City News Herald reported a rip current fatality occurred at Panama City Beach around 7 pm June 8th as well as three rescues that required hospitalization around 5 pm June 9th. Two of the three rescued were located near Edgewater Beach Resort, and the third was located near Continental Condominiums. The ... | 4 | 7 | – | |
| 2024-11-03 | Hurricane Milton · Rip CurrentPalm Beach County · forecast zone Coastal Palm Beach County One named storm filed by several offices: 5 records in 4 episodes; the totals are the storm's. High pressure over the Atlantic Ocean brought moderate onshore winds to the coast of Palm Beach County in South Florida, which led to strong rip currents and rough surf on November 2nd and 3rd. Large breaking waves in the surf zone resulted in dangerous beach conditions. | 4 | 1 | – | |
| 2017-09-13 | Hurricane Irma · Rip CurrentIndian River County · forecast zone Indian River One named storm filed by several offices: 4 records in 4 episodes, 2017-09-13 to 2017-10-15; the totals are the storm's. A man entered the surf on a day with rip currents and drowned. | 4 | 1 | – | |
| 2018-08-05 | Rip CurrentEscambia County · forecast zone Escambia Coastal One storm episode: 5 records in 2 places; 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 | 8 | – |
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 Florida
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-10-15 | Hurricane Matthew · High SurfDuval County · forecast zone Coastal Duval One named storm filed by several offices: 5 records in 3 episodes, 2016-10-15 to 2016-10-18; the totals are the storm's. | 1 | 3 | $29M | |
| 2007-10-01 | Rip CurrentVolusia County · forecast zone Volusia One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 0 | $10.0M | |
| 2008-04-06 | High SurfSt. Johns County · forecast zone St. Johns | 0 | 0 | $411K | |
| 2011-08-25 | High SurfPalm Beach County · forecast zone Coastal Palm Beach County | 0 | 8 | $3K |
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 Florida?
Florida'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 | Florida | United States | Florida's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 71 | 1,021 | 7.0% |
| 2000s | 301 | 4,386 | 6.9% |
| 2010s | 320 | 5,810 | 5.5% |
| 2020-26 | 158 | 2,346 | 6.7% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent rip current and surf records in Florida
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-02 | Rip CurrentFlagler County · forecast zone Coastal Flagler | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2026-05-07 | Rip CurrentBay County · forecast zone Coastal Bay | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-02 | Rip CurrentBrevard County · forecast zone Southern Brevard Barrier Islands | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2026-05-01 | Rip CurrentVolusia County · forecast zone Coastal Volusia County | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2026-04-27 | Astronomical Low TideBroward County · forecast zone Coastal Broward County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-12 | Rip CurrentBroward County · forecast zone Coastal Broward County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2026-04-05 | Rip CurrentBroward County · forecast zone Coastal Broward County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-03 | Rip CurrentBroward County · forecast zone Coastal Broward County | 0 | 4 | – | |
| 2026-04-01 | Rip CurrentPalm Beach County · forecast zone Coastal Palm Beach County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-14 | Rip CurrentPalm Beach County · forecast zone Coastal Palm Beach County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-26 | Rip CurrentVolusia County · forecast zone Coastal Volusia County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-24 | Rip CurrentPalm Beach County · forecast zone Coastal Palm Beach County | 0 | 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.
Federal disaster declarations for rip current and surf records in Florida
FEMA has declared 2 disasters in Florida for rip current and surf, counting its incident type and declarations that name the hazard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 2 were major disasters, the latest on September 28, 2001.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-09-28 | DR-1393 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding Associated With Tropical Storm Gabrielle | 11 |
| 1972-06-23 | DR-337 | Tropical Storm Agnes | 14 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
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