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Georgia rip currents and high surf

Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 6 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 85 rip current and surf records in Georgia from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 4.2 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the September 27, 2015 rip current in Chatham County: 3 deaths and 2 injuries. Georgia ranks 13th of 34 states and territories by count and 14th of 34 per square mile.

Rip currents and high surf in Georgia, 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
851996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
4.2average
Deaths
1014 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$25Kas filed
Busiest year
200711 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 Georgia?

Georgia averages about 4.2 rip current and surf records a year since 2000, 13th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2007 (11). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Georgia records 15 rip current and surf records since 1996, 14th of 34 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Hawaii 14482
  2. 2. New Jersey 647
  3. 3. Puerto Rico 640
  4. 4. Delaware 636
  5. 5. Florida 158
  6. 6. Rhode Island 97
  7. 7. Louisiana 64
  8. 8. California 44
  9. 9. South Carolina 41
  10. 10. North Carolina 37
  11. 14. Georgia 15

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 Georgia have the most rip current and surf records?

Per square mile, Chatham County leads Georgia: 59 days with a rip current or surf record since 1996, 136.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Chatham County has the most surf records (66 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).

  1. Chatham County 136.3 (66)
  2. Glynn County 16.7 (9)
  3. Bryan County 6.9 (3)
  4. Liberty County 5.8 (3)
  5. McIntosh County 4.6 (2)
  6. Camden County 3.2 (2)

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 Georgia?

44% of its rip current and surf records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (21 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 4 · Feb 1 · Mar 1 · Apr 1 · May 12 · Jun 16 · Jul 21 · Aug 14 · Sep 5 · Oct 9 · Nov 0 · Dec 1 (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 Georgia?

Georgia: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2015-09-27 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham Chatham County Emergency Management reported that rip currents in the waters off of Tybee Island caused 3 fatalities and 2 injuries in a group of people during a religious celebration. First responders on the scene pulled 5 people out of the water and rushed 4 of them to Memorial University Medical Center. Two of ... 3 2 –
2018-05-13 Rip CurrentGlynn County · forecast zone Coastal Glynn One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A man tried to save a woman and toddler from drowning offshore of Massengale Park in St. Simons Island during the evening. The woman and child were pulled back to shore, the man never returned. The woman later died in the hospital, the child survived. A moderate risk of rip currents was in effect. 2 0 –
2020-08-23 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham The Tybee Island Fire Department reported 2 rescues and 1 fatality associated with a rip current on the south side of the Tybee Island Pier. 1 1 –
2022-09-11 Rip CurrentGlynn County · forecast zone Coastal Glynn A rip current fatality occurred a Gould's Inlet on St. Simons Island. 1 0 –
2020-10-18 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham The Tybee Island Fire Department reported one male in his late 30s drowning due to a rip current near 19th Street along the southern end of Tybee Island, Georgia. 1 0 –
2005-06-26 Rip CurrentWilmington Is, Chatham County An 18 year old male drowned when he was caught in a rip current, according to local authorities. 1 0 –
2016-06-18 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham A Tybee Island lifeguard confirmed 1 drowning from a rip current off of Tybee Island Beach. 1 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.

Are rip current and surf records becoming more frequent in Georgia?

Georgia'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.

Rip currents and high surf: Georgia and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeGeorgiaUnited StatesGeorgia's share
1996-9901,0210
2000s194,3860.4%
2010s375,8100.6%
2020-26292,3461.2%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent rip current and surf records in Georgia

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-05-24 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham 0 0 –
2025-07-04 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham 0 0 –
2025-05-04 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham 0 0 –
2025-05-04 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham 0 0 –
2022-09-11 Rip CurrentGlynn County · forecast zone Coastal Glynn 1 0 –
2022-05-14 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham 0 1 –
2020-10-18 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham 1 0 –
2020-08-23 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham 1 1 –
2018-05-13 Rip CurrentGlynn County · forecast zone Coastal Glynn 1 0 –
2018-05-13 Rip CurrentGlynn County · forecast zone Coastal Glynn 1 0 –
2016-06-18 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham 1 0 –
2015-09-27 Rip CurrentChatham County · forecast zone Coastal Chatham 3 2 –

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.

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