As we head into the peak of hurricane season, AccuWeather's Ariella Scalese takes a look at the dangers of rip currents.

Rip currents, intensified by Hurricane Aaron, have created hazardous conditions along the U.S. East Coast, prompting double red flag warnings and beach closures. These currents, formed by powerful winds and waves pushing water toward the shore and then back out to sea, are a leading cause of fatalities linked to tropical cyclones.

Recent days have seen dozens of rescues and at least 27 deaths attributed to rip currents this year. Safety experts advise beachgoers to check forecasts, stay near lifeguard stands, observe warning flags, and remember the 'flip, float, follow' technique if caught in a rip current.

The dangers of rip currents

And welcome back everyone to Accuweather Early, I'm Ariella Scalise. As we continue through the end of August, still during a busy vacation season, beachgoers have likely noticed the double red flags flying at the beach, marking the dangerous surf conditions in the Atlantic due to Hurricane Aaron. As Accuweather has been forecasting with those dangerous seas and rip currents up and down our U.S. East Coast. Rip currents can cause dangerous rip currents due to the powerful winds and waves that they generate and these strong winds push waters towards the shore causing a buildup of water along the beach. This excess water then needs to push out back to the ocean and return and often does so in a narrow concentrated channel called a rip current. Rip currents and rough surf are the third highest cause of direct U.S. fatalities from tropical cyclones based on data from 2013 to 2023, which many occur due to storms that are located well offshore. There have been dozens of rip current rescues just these last few days because of Hurricane Aaron and at least 27 rip current deaths this year. So what can you do to stay safe? Well of course you can check the Accuweather forecast, we'll include language that says watch for unusually rough surf and rip currents for any of those beach locations. Next you want to set up near a lifeguard stand. According to the United States Life Saving Association, the likelihood of drowning at a beach under U.S.L.A. lifeguard protection is 1 in 18 million and then look for those warning flags as we talked about. Those indicate the safety of the water that day. Beaches up and down the East Coast closing or restricting swimming as Hurricane Aaron turns up large waves and creates dangerous rip currents, but if you are ever caught in a rip current, you ought to remember flip, float, follow to stay safest.

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