COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BROWNSVILLE TX
1206 AM CST SAT NOV 7 2009

...COASTAL FLOODING AND ROUGH SURF POSSIBLE ALONG THE LOWER TEXAS
COAST SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...

.A BROAD AREA OF STRONG SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IS POSITIONED OVER
THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO. NORTHEAST
TO EAST WINDS AROUND THE HIGH WILL STRENGTHEN THROUGH SUNDAY...
BUILDING SWELLS AND WAVES ALONG THE LOWER TEXAS COASTLINE.
...COASTAL FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY EVENING
THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON...

THE COASTAL FLOOD WATCH IS NOW IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY EVENING
THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

INCREASING NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF
THE GULF OF MEXICO THROUGH SUNDAY WILL PUSH LARGE GULF SWELLS UP
ONTO THE BEACHES OF DEEP SOUTH TEXAS BEGINNING SATURDAY EVENING.

THE LARGE SWELLS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE ROUGH SURF...DANGEROUS RIP
CURRENTS...TIDAL OVERFLOW...AND SOME FLOODING ALONG AREA BEACHES
FROM SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON OR LATER...
ESPECIALLY AT HIGH TIDE. HIGH TIDE ON SATURDAY IS AT 957 PM AND
ON SUNDAY HIGH TIDE IS AT 1028 PM. SOME BEACH EROSION MAY ALSO
OCCUR AS THE WAVES PUSH FARTHER ONTO THE AREA BEACHES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

SWIMMING AND OTHER MARINE RELATED ACTIVITIES ALONG THE BEACHES OF
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND AND AT BOCA CHICA BEACH ARE HIGHLY DISCOURAGED
THIS WEEKEND DUE TO THE THREAT OF INCREASED SURF AND RIP CURRENT.

A RIP CURRENT IS A 10 TO 30 YARD WIDE CHANNEL OF WATER THAT CAN
PULL EVEN A STRONG SWIMMER INTO DEEPER WATER.

NEAR PIERS...JETTIES...AND INLETS...DO NOT GO INTO THE SURF MUCH
ABOVE YOUR KNEES.

IF CAUGHT IN THE SEAWARD PULL OF A RIP CURRENT...DO NOT ATTEMPT
TO MOVE DIRECTLY TOWARD SHORE. INSTEAD...MOVE SIDEWAYS ACROSS THE
RIP CURRENT UNTIL THE PULL EASES. ANOTHER METHOD OF ESCAPE IS TO
LET THE RIP CURRENT PULL YOU SEAWARD 50 TO 100 YARDS...WHERE THE
FORCE WEAKENS. THEN...SWIM TOWARD THE BEACH AT AN ANGLE AWAY FROM
THE CURRENT.

A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH IS ISSUED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF COASTAL
FLOODING GENERALLY WITHIN THE NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS...DEFINED AS
TIDES EXCEEDING 3 FEET ABOVE MEAN LOWER LOW WATER.

&&