Hurricane Erin is expected to bypass South Florida, sparing the Sunshine State from the worst of its fury and offering a rare gift to wave-crazy surfers as it swells wind field injects a revitalizing flow of energy along the shoreline.
Already, an unpredictable surge of slot excitement funneled through the Providence Channel slipping underGrand Bahama will affect areas along Palm Beach County’s summer-slowed shoreline.
As the first hurricane of the 2025 season travels northeast of the limestone islands that typically shield the Gold Coast from distant swells, better surfing conditions are expected to arrive.
This is expected to be a great event,” said Brandon Andrews, supervisor for Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue North. “All signs suggest perfect conditions.
Hurricane Erin creates perfect wave conditions for surfing in Florida.
Erin is distant enough from Florida that its wind energy is directed into the ocean, similar to a hand pressing into a waterbed, creating even lines of salty blue corduroy that reach the shore. Storms that are nearer to the state, or passing directly over it, usually generate more chaotic waves, with rough, white-capped peaks crashing onto the beach in unpredictable bursts.
A prediction of offshore winds on Thursday and Friday — a result of Erin’s northern trajectory — suggests a calmer ocean surface near the shore, causing waves to form into smooth, glass-like shapes until they crash into white foam.
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“This presents an excellent opportunity for several days of a traditional powerful hurricane swell stretching along the entire east coast,” said James Wieland, a surfer and meteorologist with WPTV Channel 5, in hissurf forecastAnticipate many quick sales, but there will be some valuable opportunities emerging at the perfect moment.
A closeout occurs when a wave folds over and crashes simultaneously — causing a surfer to be thrown or propelled directly toward the shore — rather than breaking evenly in one direction, similar to a zipper being undone, which maintains the wave’s face intact and rideable.
Wieland is forecasting that the surge will arrive in Martin County on Wednesday and move into northern Palm Beach County late on Wednesday into Thursday. It is expected to extend as far as central Palm Beach County late Thursday into Friday.
“It appears the wave will continue through the weekend,” Wieland wrote.
Frequent visitors to Florida’s beaches should be aware of the risks in the water, including waves and rip currents resulting from Hurricane Erin.
However, an optimal surfing environment may not be safe for everyday beach visitors who enjoy the clear blue skies and gentle waves without realizing the hidden risks in the water. This can be particularly problematic during this time of year when tourists, whose schools resume after Labor Day, are enjoying their final days of summer.
Hurricane Erin is expected to be approximately1,400 miles northeast near South Florida on Saturday, closer to Nova Scotia than the Sunshine State, but Palm Beach County might still experience the impacts.
The National Weather Service in Miami issued a high surf warning until noon on Saturday and extended the…high danger of strong ocean currentsuntil Saturday night for county beaches, showcasing Erin’s widespread effects that surfers seek but which worry lifeguards.
One of the main challenges we face is communicating a threat that’s offshore and not easily visible,” said Sammy Hadi, a meteorologist with the NWS in Miami. “It’s a lovely day, it’s warm, and it looks perfect for swimming, but beneath the surface can be extremely dangerous.
So far this week, approximately 60 individuals have needed to be rescued from strong rip currents at Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina, as waves caused by Hurricane Erin hit the coastline, according to theWilmington Star-News.
A second individual was saved from rip currents at a South Carolina beach, with a dozen such currents reported along beaches in South Carolina and Georgia on August 18, according to the National Weather Service in Charleston, South Carolina.said.
This year, 61 individuals across the country, with 13 in Florida, have lost their lives due to rip currents or other ocean-related events like strong waves, as reported by the National Weather Service.
In April, two teenagers from Palm Beach County lost their lives in separate ocean-related accidents. Oliver Vasquez-Perez, aged 17, passed away due to a rip current near the Lake Worth Beach pier. Jerry Hyppolite, 13 years old, drowned in the waters near Fort Lauderdale.
Rip currents have risen to such a level of concern for the National Hurricane Center that it has begun creating its own rip current risk maps this year, emphasizing coastal dangers caused by storms that can be hundreds of miles away.
The nearest point the center of Hurricane Erin reached to Palm Beach County was approximately 450 miles.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Erin was located 335 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, with sustained winds of 110 mph, classifying it as a Category 2 storm. The hurricane’s strong winds spread out 90 miles from its center, while tropical storm-force winds reached an expansive 265 miles. This is double the size it was earlier in the week, according to Michael Lowry, a hurricane expert from WPLG-TV, in his forecast released on Tuesday morning.
Erin’s strong and remarkably broad wind field will lead to a historic hurricane event in the western Atlantic, with individual waves exceeding 100 feet offshore in the coming days,” Lowry stated on Wednesday. “Yesterday, a buoy located approximately 100 miles east of Erin’s path, northeast of the Bahamas, measured wave heights of up to 40 feet.
If Erin regains Category 3 power (111 to 129 mph), Lowry stated it would be the biggest major hurricane since Fiona in September 2022.
Erin is not only the initial hurricane of the 2025 hurricane season, which spans from June 1 to November 30, but it also stands out due to its remarkable rapid intensification, increasing by 85 mph within 24 hours and briefly reaching Category 5 status. This was preceded by tropical storms named Andrea, Barry, Chantal, and Dexter. Predictions for this season suggest higher than usual activity, with Colorado State University forecasting 11 additional named storms following Erin.
This week in Palm Beach County, wave heights are expected to peak at eight feet, with ocean swells rising to nine feet. Alongside the high surf warning and danger of rip currents, a small boat advisory is currently active for Palm Beach County through Thursday, though it may be prolonged.
Swimming is not recommended for the next few days,” Andrews stated, highlighting that swimmers must pay attention to lifeguard alerts and avoid the water when red and double red flags are displayed. “We often have visitors from around the globe, and they tend to rush in because they’re thrilled to be here.
Behind Erin, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring two tropical waves. One close to the Leeward Islands has a 10% probability of developing over the next two days and a 60% chance over seven days. The other, labeled Invest AL99, is approximately 100 miles south of the Cape Verde Islands, with a 40% likelihood of becoming a tropical system within both two and seven days.
Neither poses a threat to the continental United States at this time. The following names on the 2025 hurricane list are Fernand and Gabrielle.
What is a rip tide?
Rip currents are strong, focused streams of water that move rapidly away from the coastline, typically located in depressions or gaps in the sandbar and close to man-made structures like jetties and piers.
How do rip tides function?
Rip currents occur when incoming waves generate an underwater sandbar. The waves push additional water between the sandbar and the coastline until it gives way, allowing the water to flow back into the ocean through a small opening, where it then spreads out.
How to identify rip currents?
They may be hard to spot while in the water, as the ocean above them can still appear calm.
Rip currents frequently occur during or following stormy conditions but can also develop on clear, sunny days because the weather itself is not the actual cause. These currents can appear at any beach that has waves, at any time.
What actions should you take if you find yourself trapped in a strong ocean current?
The most crucial action is to remain calm and stay afloat. Although they may appear frightening, rip currents only carry you away, not beneath the surface. The greatest risk is exhausting yourself.
- Stay calm and avoid struggling. There’s no need to attempt to combat the flow.
- You might be able to escape the current by swimming parallel to the shoreline (or simply floating or staying afloat) until it weakens or returns to the shore, after which you can then swim toward the beach.
- You can also attempt to swim with the current toward the breaking waves, which might help you reach the shore.
- If you are unable to reach the beach or are being carried further away from the shore, or if you start to feel exhausted, signal for assistance by waving or calling out for help.
Laura Lordi, the digital strategy editor at Palm Beach Post, played a role in this report.
Kimberly MillerWorks as a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, which is part of the USA Today Network in Florida. She reports on real estate, weather, and environmental issues. Subscribe toThe Dirtfor a weekly real estate summary. If you have any news suggestions, please email them tokmiller@pbpost.com. Encourage local news coverage: Sign up now.
This piece first was published in the Palm Beach Post:Erin is set to deliver a ‘classic’ hurricane swell for South Florida surfers, but poses a threat to ordinary beach visitors.
