Louisiana Beach Goers Should Reconsider Taking Trip This Weekend

Ever since Memorial Day Weekend there has been a steady stream of vehicles with Louisiana license plates heading east on I-10 toward the beaches of Lower Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. It's a right of passage and for many families, it's an annual event that takes them to the same condo or beach house for sun, sand, surf, and a lot of good food that was brought from home.

But if you have beach plans in the future, you might want to reconsider making that trip this particular weekend. The Gulf of Mexico is not friendly for swimmers right now. And based on information that has been provided by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Mobile, Alabama you can see why.

The NWS Office in Mobile/Pensacola offers a special rip current forecast and outlook so that beachgoers can properly plan their time in cities such as Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Perdido Key, Pensacola, Destin, or Navarre. As you can see from the above graphic, the outlook is not good and not safe for those who want to dip their toes in the water.

In fact, over the past few days, double red flags have been flying at many beaches along the northern Gulf of Mexico because of rough water conditions. Double red flags, for the uninitiated, mean no one is allowed in the water at all. Dangerous rip currents are the reason.

The dangerous surf isn't confined to just Florida and Alabama, beach conditions along the Louisiana and Texas coasts aren't much better. In fact, they are probably worse because of their closer proximity to Tropical Storm Alberto. The storm is forecast to make landfall in Mexico this morning but it will take several days for the Gulf of Mexico to calm down.

Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center are already watching the next tropical trouble spot in the southwestern Gulf as soon as Alberto moves out. Should that system develop further it too could keep wave and high water action at dangerous levels along the coast.

But, if your beach plans don't include sand, maybe you're a lay by the pool at the condo person, or you just go for the taffy and souvenir hermit crabs then you should be okay. There will be plenty of sunshine but a threat of afternoon showers will highlight your stay along the Gulf at least for this weekend and the early part of next week.

Pack your common sense and your sunscreen and you should be okay.