Officials are monitoring local beaches as the effects from newly named Tropical Storm Andrea began surfacing Wednesday.
The National Weather Service’s storm track showed Andrea making landfall Thursday evening along Florida’s west coast. Forecasters issued a tropical storm warning Wednesday for a swath extending from near Fort Myers to the coastal area south of Tallahassee.
As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, the storm was about 310 miles southwest of Tampa. It had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving north at 3 mph. Forecasters expected Andrea to move northeast at a faster speed Thursday.
Depending on the storm’s final path, the Emerald Coast may experience rain and rough surf.
Double-red flags will fly on South Walton County beaches until Friday morning because of high surf and rip currents. The flags advise that the water is closed to the public, said Sammy Sanchez, fire marshal for the South Walton Fire District.
“You have to be aware of the rip currents,” Sanchez said. “They’re what you don’t see.”
A 45-year-old man was rescued from a rip current Wednesday morning across from Surfside Condominiums in Miramar Beach, according to a news release from the fire district. The man tried to swim out of the rip current but was taken underwater.
Beach vendors rescued the man and fire district paramedics resuscitated him. He was taken to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.
He was swimming more than a mile from the nearest lifeguard tower, the news release said.
“Just be aware of your limits when you’re swimming,” Sanchez advised.
Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties flew single red flags Wednesday, warning of hazardous surf and numerous rip currents. Although officials with both counties had no firm plans to fly double-red flags, beach crews will continue to monitor surf conditions.
“People need to pay attention to the flags,” advised Tracey Vause, chief of Okaloosa County Beach Safety.
Storms damaged the walkway of the Commander’s Landing boat ramp in Ponce de Leon Wednesday, according to Walton County spokesman Louis E. Svehla.
Boats can still be launched, but the walkway is unsafe and needs repairs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Flag Warning System:
- Double Red Flag: Water is closed to public (dangerous water conditions)
- Red Flag: High Hazard (high surf and/or strong currents)
- Yellow Flag: Medium Hazard (moderate surf and/or currents)
- Green Flag: Low Hazard (calm conditions, exercise caution)
- Purple Flag: Marine Pests Present (jellyfish, stingrays, dangerous fish)
- CHECK THE FLAGS: For Okaloosa County, visit the Okaloosa County Beach Safety Facebook page. For Walton County, visit www.swfd.org/beach.php. For Santa Rosa County, visit www.santarosa.fl.gov.
How To Identify A Rip Current
One or more of the following features indicate the presence of a rip current:
- Darker color surf, indicating deeper water
- Murky brown water caused by sand stirred up on the bottom
- Smaller unorganized waves, alongside more evenly breaking waves over a sand bar
- Waves breaking further out to sea on both sides of the rip current
What To Do If You See Someone Else Caught In A Rip Current:
- Notify a lifeguard
- Have someone call 911, give accurate landmarks
- Do not enter the water, you too will be caught in the current
- Throw them a flotation device
- Try not to lose sight of the victim
What To Do If You’re Caught In A Rip Current:
- Don’t panic or swim against the current
- Relax, float with the current until it dissipates
- Swim parallel to shore and back in
Of course the best way to avoid a rip current is to know the surf conditions before entering the water.