1995 — Aug 13-19, Hurricane Felix, especially NC and NJ (also RI and VA) — 12

–12  Blanchard tally based on State and locality breakouts below.

—  9  AP. “Hurricane Felix Brings Drownings…Sorrow.” Post-Standard, Syracuse NY, 8-19-95, A5.

—  8  Mayfield and Bevin. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Felix, 8-25 August, 1995. 1-2-1999 update.

 

New Jersey:                (5)

— 5  Drownings off coast. Mayfield/Bevin. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Felix, 8-25 August, 1995.

— 5  Drownings; rip currents/heavy surf. NCDC. Storm Data, V37, N8, Aug 1995, p. 57.[1]

–1  Atlantic City, Aug 19. Drowning; surfer, 37, knocked over, pinned underwater.[2]

–1  Monmouth County, off Deal, Aug 14. Drowning; surfer, 17.

–2  Monmouth Co., Pt. Pleasant Beach, Aug 17. Large wave sweeps two boys off beach.[3]

–1  Monmouth County, Avon, Aug 17. Drowning; male, 45.

 

North Carolina:         (5)

— 5  Drownings; Rip Currents.  NCDC. Storm Data, V37, N8, Aug 1995, p. 64.

–2  Brunswick County, Fort Fisher; Aug 13. Drownings; rip currents; swimmers.[4]

–1  Carteret County, Emerald Isle, Aug 15-17. Drowning; rip currents.

–2  Dare County, Rodanthe and Hags Head, Aug 13.

— 3  Drownings off coast. Mayfield/Bevin. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Felix, 8-25 August, 1995.

— 1  New Hanover Co., Aug. 13. Drowning. Male, 18, swam out to warn group of children.[5]

 

Rhode Island:            (1)

— 1  Middletown, Sakonnet River. Drowning; boat flips in large swells; male.[6] (Storm Data)

 

Virginia                      (1)

— 1  Virginia Beach, Aug 13. Drowning; severe rip current conditions; NY vacationer.[7]

 

Sources

 

Associated Press, Irvington, NJ. “Hurricane Felix Brings Drownings and Sorrow.” Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY, 8-19-1995, A5. Accessed 10-25-2014 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=28120825&sterm=felix+drown

 

Associated Press. “Hurricane Felix expected to buffet Bermuda.” Laurel Leader-Call, MS. 8-14-1995, p. 8. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=227589241&sterm=fort

 

Associated Press. “Hurricane Felix hits Bermuda.” Paris News, TX. 8-14-1995, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=110879958&sterm=felix+virginia+drown

 

Mayfield, Max and Jack Beven. Preliminary Report. Hurricane Felix, 8-25 August, 1995. Miami, FL: Tropical Prediction Center, National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, NOAA, Department of Commerce. 11-19-1995, updated 1-2-1999. Accessed 10-25-2014 at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1995felix.html

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 37, No. 8, Aug 1995. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 10-24-2014 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-278CB6AD-9844-4CAD-99FD-4885099DCEC5.pdf

 

 

 

[1] “Swells associated with Hurricane Felix generated rough surf and rip currents for about one week along the New Jersey shore. Five drownings occurred.”

[2] Atlantic City is in Atlantic County. The surfer “was pinned underwater by a jetty…”

[3] “…13-year-old Jaleel [Abdul-Majeed] and 11-year-old Hafiz, were in knee-deep water at Point Pleasant Beach when they were knocked down by a strong current and swept away Thursday. Their father ran into the water after them but had to be rescued himself…`I told them not to go into the water, but they must have thought that meant don’t go swimming’.” (AP, Irvington, NJ. “Hurricane Felix Brings Drownings and Sorrow.” Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY, 8-19-1995, A5.)

[4] Not sure this is correctly listed in that the Fort Fisher we are aware of is in the neighboring county (to the north) of New Hanover. Newspapers reported two missing swimmers without noting locality.

[5] “Gregory James, 18, of Magnolia, N.C., drowned Sunday at Fort Fisher. He apparently swam out to warn a group of children about strong currents when he got caught in a rip-tide said New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department Lt. D.L. Smithey.” AP. “Hurricane Felix expected to buffet Bermuda.” Laurel Leader-Call, MS. 8-14-1995, p. 8. This listing and Brunswick County listing are highlighted in yellow in that it appears that one of the New Brunswick County deaths (noting Fort Fisher) should be for New Hanover County – would be double-counting.

[6] “15-21 [Aug]…High Waves. Hurricane Felix passed near Bermuda on a northwest track which approached the North Carolina coast before turning northeast from a hundred miles east of Cape Hatteras. The hurricane then passed well to the southeast of Cape Cod. Large ocean swells generated by the slow moving hurricane resulted in heavy surf and rip tides along the coast with an exposure to the open ocean. Dangerous conditions which began on Tuesday lasted through the following weekend. Officials closed many beaches to the public at various times for almost a week, as waves from six to ten feet high crashed ashore. A boater drowned in the Sakonnet River in Middletown when his boat flipped in the large swells.” NCDC. Storm Data, V37, N8, Aug 1995, p. 89.

[7] NCDC. Storm Data, V37, N8, Aug 1995, p. 106. The note, though, does not specifically attribute the “severe rip current conditions” to Felix. The next entry, however, for Aug 15-17, does state that “Some residents and visitors evacuated parts of Virginia Beach as a precaution ahead of Felix.” (pp. 106-107)  An AP report on Hurricane Felix on Aug 14 notes that “…in Virginia Beach, Va., the Coast Guard searched until dark Sunday [Aug 14] for a man last seen in the surf.” (AP. “Hurricane Felix hits Bermuda.” Paris News, TX. 8-14-1995, p. 1.)