9 IslandVibesIOP.com OPINION Bring a Taste of New Orleans to Mount Pleasant & Park Circle lolaparkcircle.com • 843-990-9416 Enjoy Crawfish, New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, LoLa's Mac N’ Cheese and more! 1036 Chuck Dawley Blvd. Mt. Pleasant & 4830 O’Hear Ave. North Charleston ing lot, beach access or headland). Watch the water for several minutes as ocean conditions, including rip current characteristics, can change. You can also ask a lifeguard if there are any rip currents in the area. Look for these clues when trying to spot a rip current: • A narrow gap of darker, seemingly calmer water between areas of breaking waves and whitewater • A channel of churning, choppy water • A difference in water color • A line of foam, seaweed or debris moving seaward Some types of rips, such as flash rips, can appear as narrow sections of turbulent whitewater heading away from the beach. Types of Rip Currents There are several different types of rip currents, characterized by how and where they develop along with how long they persist. Below are the rip current types typically found in our area: Channelized - This is the most common rip current type in the Carolinas. Channelized rip currents form due to the presence of irregular patterns of nearshore beach characteristics, such as shape of sandbars. The rips occupy deeper channels between the sandbars, and they can stay in place for hours to as much as several months. As the shape of the beach changes, especially during and after strong storms, the location and strength of these rip currents will also change. Boundary - Boundary rip currents form against rigid structures in the surf zone. The structures can be either natural (such as headlands and rock outcrops) or man-made (such as groins, jetties and piers). These rip currents move little and can persist for months or years. Flash - Flash rips are usually of short duration, lasting no more than 15 or 30 minutes. However they can be quite dangerous as they form suddenly, can occur over a large and varying area and are unpredictable. For more information, visit weather.gov/ilm/ ripcurrents or reach out to your local National Weather Service Forecast Office. From Page 8.
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