Rip currents expected at Delmarva beaches

WASHINGTON — Beachgoers can expect strong winds and rip currents at Delmarva’s beaches this weekend thanks to Hurricane Arthur.

The strongest winds will arrive Friday, the Fourth of July, when Arthur will be parallel to the peninsula, says Dennis Feltgen, meteorologist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Beachgoers can expect a strong surf as well, he says.

“I think for the weekend itself, Saturday and Sunday, they’re going to be in great shape. This thing will be up over the North Atlantic by the time we wake up on Saturday morning,” Feltgen says.

Travelers to the Jersey Shore can expect similar conditions including strong surfs, gusty winds and the chance for rip currents.

Any possible storm surges will threaten areas from the Virginia beaches south to the North Carolina and South Carolina coastline, he says.

The National Weather Service says a rip current is a horizontal current that is most dangerous during high surf conditions.

The weather service offers tips to identify a rip current and survive if you are caught in one.

Find out more about the holiday weekend’s forecast:

Clarification: An earlier version of this story identified rip currents as rip tides.

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