Dangerous rip currents lash parts of Florida coast

Author: Associated Press
Published: Updated:
Purple area shows Florida’s east coast under rip current warning. Credit: via WINK News.

The National Weather Service says some beachgoers in Florida should be wary of the risk of dangerous rip currents along parts of the Atlantic coast.

The winds are being generated by Tropical Storm Humberto, which was 165 miles (270 kilometers) east-northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11 a.m. EDT on Saturday and moving north at 7 mph (11 kph).

Maximum sustained winds were clocked at nearly 65 mph (100 kph) with higher gusts.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Humberto will bring large swells to the northwestern Bahamas and southeastern U.S. coast for several days.

The National Weather Service issued a high rip current risk for coastal Palm Beach County until late Sunday. A similar warning was issued for northeast Florida beaches, from Fernandina Beach to Flagler Beach, until early Monday.

Rip currents are narrow channels of water that move away from shore at high speed, posing a drowning threat to swimmers.

Humberto is expected to become a hurricane by Sunday, but it is moving away from land as it strengthens. Additional strengthening is forecast through Wednesday, when the eye of the storm is expected to be out in the open Atlantic.

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