Hurricane Sam could spark dangerous rip currents along Cape and Islands
A powerful Category 4 hurricane that’s expected to stay far offshore could bring dangerous rip currents to the Massachusetts coast this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
The swells from Hurricane Sam — with maximum sustained winds near 130 mph — are expected to spread to the East Coast. These swells could spark “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the National Hurricane Center said on Wednesday.
Beachgoers who are heading to Cape Cod, Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard this weekend should keep a close eye on the forecast, said Bill Leatham, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Boston office.
“It will be dependent on its track and how quickly Sam is moving northward,” Leatham said. “But given the direction its heading, there’s a chance for higher swells and an increased risk of rip currents.
“We will know more about how high of a risk when we get closer to it,” he added.
Rip currents can flow away from the shore at a speed faster than an Olympic swimmer, warns the National Weather Service. If caught in a rip current, don’t swim against it. Swim out of the current, and then to shore.
A man swimming off of Martha’s Vineyard drowned after getting caught in a strong rip current on Monday.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2Y0YWU6
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