Treasure Coast - Tuesday September 12, 2023: While Hurricane Lee poses no direct threat to the Florida Peninsula, it continues to churn up swells out in the Atlantic that are already having an impact on Treasure Coast beaches.
The storm is hundreds of miles east of us, way out in the Atlantic, and it will remain well east as it makes its turn north away from us, possible by Wednesday. But swells from the storm have already prompted the National Weather Service in Melbourne to issue a 'High Rip Current Risk' warning for the east central Florida coastline.
“This long-period swell from hurricane Lee is producing a very high rip-current risk already along our coastline from Indian River County to Martin County," said NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist Will Ulrich. "And believe it or not its expected to get even worse as we move later into this week.”
And as Hurricane Lee move north past us, Ulrich warns that waves from the storm will build along the east coast. “By Thursday and Friday we anticipate wave heights of 4 to 6 feet across the Treasure Coast, locally higher, as high as 5 to 7 feet at times. And so, that’s going to bring an even higher threat in the surf zone, not just of rip currents, but of rough surf that could overpower individuals who try and get in the water.”
Those waves have also raised concerns about what Ulrich said could be minor to moderate Beach erosion. “Particularly around times of high tides. So, those 4 to 6-foot waves, as much as 5 to 7 foot, could impact or coastline in terms of not just rip currents, but also beach erosion.”
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water for the next week until the waves die-down.“We do not encourage anyone to get in the water at this time. The fact is this is probably the highest rip current threat our community has faced in quite some time.”