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North Carolina rip currents and high surf

Every recorded rip current or surf record since 1996 · 10 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 180 rip current and surf records in North Carolina from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 7.1 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 3, 2013 rip current in Brunswick County: 3 deaths and 3 injuries. North Carolina ranks 8th of 34 states and territories by count and 10th of 34 per square mile.

Rip currents and high surf in North Carolina, 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
1801996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
7.1average
Deaths
10821 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
201822 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 North Carolina?

North Carolina averages about 7.1 rip current and surf records a year since 2000, 8th of 34 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2018 (22). Per 10,000 square miles of land, North Carolina records 37 rip current and surf records since 1996, 10th 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

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 North Carolina have the most rip current and surf records?

Per square mile, New Hanover County leads North Carolina: 78 days with a rip current or surf record since 1996, 405.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, New Hanover County has the most surf records (80 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. New Hanover County 405.8 (80)
  2. Carteret County 43.3 (23)
  3. Dare County 26.1 (10)
  4. Brunswick County 18.8 (16)
  5. Pender County 10.3 (9)
  6. Currituck County 7.6 (2)
  7. Hyde County 4.9 (3)
  8. Pasquotank County 4.4 (1)
  9. Onslow County 1.3 (1)
  10. Columbus County 1.1 (1)

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 North Carolina?

47% of its rip current and surf records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (50 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 2 · Mar 1 · Apr 6 · May 25 · Jun 35 · Jul 50 · Aug 27 · Sep 20 · Oct 10 · Nov 4 · 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 North Carolina?

North Carolina: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2013-07-03 Rip CurrentBrunswick County · forecast zone Coastal Brunswick Numerous rip current rescues occurred over much of the beaches of Brunswick county. There were 3 fatalities, one at Ocean Isle Beach, and two at Sunset Beach. Three other people were hospitalized. 3 3 –
2017-10-07 Rip CurrentNew Hanover County · forecast zone Coastal New Hanover One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Strong onshore wind and swell produced strong rip currents. 3 0 –
2000-09-13 Rip CurrentKure Beach, New Hanover County Large swell waves from distant Hurricane Florence generated rip currents along Pleasure Island Beaches. Deaths by drowning occurred at 1:30 and 2:30 PM EDT at Kure Beach, and at 3 PM EDTat Carolina Beach. 3 0 –
2021-08-18 Rip CurrentBrunswick County · forecast zone Coastal Brunswick Oak Island Water Rescue reported three people got caught in a rip current near the pier on Trott St. The father was brought to shore by bystanders and pronounced dead, while a second person was rescued. The third person, the son, was found in the water a few hours later. 2 0 –
2020-07-12 Rip CurrentCarteret County · forecast zone West Carteret Emerald Isle officials say two men died Sunday afternoon after drowning in the ocean. The victims were two men, from Cornelius, NC, and from Raleigh, NC. The town manager said that a 911 call was made shortly after 4 p.m. for two swimmers in distress in the area of 9901 Coast Guard Road in the beach strand near ... 2 0 –
2019-05-14 Rip CurrentCarteret County · forecast zone West Carteret Two swimmers were swept out in a rip current near Oceanana Pier on Atlantic Beach Tuesday afternoon (5/14). Emergency personnel responded and pulled the victims from the water and transported them to the hospital, where they later died. 2 0 –
2017-06-17 Rip CurrentCarteret County · forecast zone Carteret One storm episode: 2 records, 2017-06-17 to 2017-06-18; the totals are the episode's. Two people died due to rip currents in Atlantic Beach, NC. 2 0 –
2017-06-10 Rip CurrentCarteret County · forecast zone Carteret One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. Two teenage boys died from rip currents in Emerald Isle, NC. 2 0 –
2016-09-09 Rip CurrentEastern Dare · forecast zone Eastern Dare A 70 year old male was caught in a rip current and three men tried to rescue him. A 51 year old male was one of the men attempting rescue, and drowned in the rip current as well. 2 0 –
2013-07-04 Rip CurrentBrunswick County · forecast zone Coastal Brunswick A family of four was near the 100 block of Ocean Boulevard. The father got caught in a rip current and the other family members attempted to rescue him. All were taken to the hospital, where the father later passed away. 1 3 –

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 North Carolina?

North Carolina'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: North Carolina and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeNorth CarolinaUnited StatesNorth Carolina's share
1996-9931,0210.3%
2000s434,3861.0%
2010s795,8101.4%
2020-26552,3462.3%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent rip current and surf records in North Carolina

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-06 Rip CurrentNew Hanover County · forecast zone Coastal New Hanover 0 0 –
2026-05-29 Rip CurrentNew Hanover County · forecast zone Coastal New Hanover 0 0 –
2026-05-23 Rip CurrentNew Hanover County · forecast zone Coastal New Hanover 0 0 –
2026-05-21 Rip CurrentNew Hanover County · forecast zone Coastal New Hanover 0 1 –
2026-05-16 Rip CurrentNew Hanover County · forecast zone Coastal New Hanover 0 0 –
2026-04-03 Rip CurrentNew Hanover County · forecast zone Coastal New Hanover 0 0 –
2025-08-23 Rip CurrentNew Hanover County · forecast zone Coastal New Hanover 0 0 –
2025-08-19 Rip CurrentNew Hanover County · forecast zone Coastal New Hanover 0 0 –
2025-08-18 Rip CurrentPender County · forecast zone Coastal Pender 0 0 –
2025-08-18 Rip CurrentNew Hanover County · forecast zone Coastal New Hanover 0 0 –
2025-07-27 Astronomical Low TidePasquotank County · forecast zone Pasquotank 0 0 –
2025-07-16 Rip CurrentBrunswick County · forecast zone Coastal Brunswick 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.

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