The deadliest weather along Alabama and northwest Florida’s coastal areas is not hurricanes. Even tornadoes.

It’s rip currents. Those narrow channels of fast-moving water have killed more people than hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning and flooding combined.

With beaches expected to soon get busier with out-of-town vacationers and Spring Breakers, the National Weather Service is trying to raise awareness of rip currents to prevent the death toll from climbing any higher with Rip Current Awareness Week, which begins today (Feb. 26).

According to the weather service the vast majority of rip current fatalities involve non-residents on vacation from the Tennessee Valley and Deep South.

From 2002 until 2023 there have been 231 deaths blamed on rip currents along Alabama and Florida Panhandle beaches, according to the weather service. That’s more than the deaths from hurricanes (31), tornadoes (78), flooding (19) and lightning (46) combined.

The goal of Rip Current Awareness Week is to educate those far inland about the dangers of rip currents, which are sneaky and deadly.

Rip currents are fast-moving, narrow channels of water that can pull unsuspecting swimmers quickly away from the beach and into deeper water. They are stronger than even the best swimmer and can cause those caught in them to panic.

Part of the problem is that rip currents could be lurking on the best of beach days, and they could be hard to spot.

” … Just because it’s a clear-sky day doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s safe to get in the water,” said Jessica Chace, from the National Weather Service in Mobile.

Her advice is to routinely check the beach forecast “ … as well as being respectful of what color beach flags are flying; if it’s red or double red, don’t go in the water.”

Here’s a quick guide to beach flags and what they mean:

The beach forecast can be found at the National Weather Service’s website.

The weather service also has a four-day rip current forecast. Here is the forecast from Monday through Thursday night:

If you are caught in a rip current, the best thing to do is not panic and fight against it. It will only wear you out. Instead, call for help and try to swim parallel to the beach until you feel the pull of the current ease.

Here’s more advice about how to survive if you are caught in a rip current.

The weather service continues to hope the warnings will resonate. Said Jason Beaman, the head of the weather service in Mobile: As we always say, “It’s always a great day to come to the beach, but some days you want to stay out of the water.”

Rip Current Awareness Week will continue through March 1.