CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — February 28 is the start of Gulf Coast Rip Current Awareness Week, and the National Weather Service offices along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Florida are highlighting the importance of rip current awareness and safety.
Temperatures may still be cold outside, but Spring Break is quickly approaching.
In 2021, there were three reported rip current fatalities on the middle Texas coast, and according to experts, there were 10 statewide.
A rip current is very common around breaks in sandbars and also near inlets, jetties, and piers.
Experts say a rip current is a powerful, narrow channel of water that flows away from the beach.
"Rip currents typically extend from near the shoreline out through the breaker zone where breaking waves form. Rip currents can and do occur on clear, sunny days," said National Weather Service experts.
One local non-profit corporation, Je'Sani Smith Foundation, has been working to make our South Texas beaches safer from rip currents.
The Je'Sani Smith Foundation has made significant strides in the fight to keep residents and visitors of Coastal Bend beaches educated about potential dangers in the water.
Gulf Coast Rip Current Awareness Week. runs from today, February 28, through March 4.
For more information about rip currents, be sure to visit the National Weather Service Corpus Christi on Facebook and Twitter.
