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Big news to share!After many years in development, I am proud to announce that our @NOAA rip current forecast model is FINALLY operational!
https://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/nwps/viewer.shtml
You might be asking why is this so significant?
A thread 1/n
This is the *first ever* operational probabilistic rip current guidance in the U.S. It is forced by numerical wave and water level models and provides hourly hazardous rip current likelihood out to 6 days, every ~1 km along the coast. 2/n
Rip currents kill ~ 100 people in the U.S. every year. This model will better inform public safety personnel and the general public regarding the rip current hazard. Its *only one tool* in the toolbox, but an important one to hopefully reduce drownings. 3/n
This is also incredibly personal to me. I started working on this model as a starry-eyed grad student @UNC over a decade ago. With the help of some amazing advisors, mentors and colleagues, I had a vision to create something to help people and hopefully save lives. 4/n
I was lucky to work with awesome people @CoastalECU @USACEHQ , @DareCountyEM, @NWSMoreheadCity who helped deploy instruments, measure bathymetry and observe rip currents (THANK YOU LIFEGUARDS!) At the end of my dissertation, I had a model that predicted rips fairly well. 5/n
But a research model and something in @NOAA @NWS operations are two completely different things. I was lucky enough to get a position @noaaocean after finishing school. My supervisors encouraged me to work with NWS to try to find a path forward to operationalize my model. 6/n
It took awhile to build momentum, not to mention the operational wave model needed to run the rip model didn’t yet exist. But so many colleagues @NOAA (too many to name here) have been advocates and partners. They appreciated the need even when resources were limited. 7/n
Over many years we held workshops, pursued funding, organized teams, created trainings and briefed leadership (Thank you @GallaudetTim!). Once the wave and water level model was running, we worked with WFOs and lifeguards to validate the rip model at beaches across the US. 8/n
And now here we are. After putting more of my life towards this than I ever thought I would when I started as a grad student 15 years ago - we finally have an operational rip current model that will hopefully educate people and save lives. 9/n
There is certainly still *a ton* more to do. But at least for today, I want to celebrate the MANY, MANY people who have made this a reality. Thank you to everyone (you know who you are) who have supported this effort over the years. Wouldn’t have been possible without you. end/
PS - there will of course be an official news announcement about this soon!
