Louisiana Beach Goers – Your Latest Warnings for the Weekend

Louisiana residents who love fun in the sun with a little bit of sand in their shoes will need to be cognizant of some very "not relaxing" news this Father's Day weekend. Whether you're heading to Holly Beach Louisiana, Destin Florida, Galveston Texas, or any beach in between chances are there is a hidden danger lurking that you and your family should be aware of.

Here is an update to the information we provided earlier in the week regarding rip currents and high levels of bacteria in the water. Neither situation is good for swimming and in fact, both scenarios could pose a fatal health risk for those who don't heed the warnings.

Let's begin our update with the beaches of the Florida Panhandle and Lower Alabama. The graphic below is provided by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Mobile Alabama and it's not pretty.

What Warnings Are Posted for Florida and Alabama Beaches This Weekend?

As you can see the risk of rip currents at some of Louisiana's favorite beach destinations is high. In fact, bathers might find themselves compromised by swimming in only waist-deep water at some of these locations. Our advice to you is to follow the posted warnings at each beach location and actually heed them. Every year more than 100 individuals lose their lives because of dangerous rip currents. That is not how you want to celebrate Father's Day Weekend.

What Warnings Are Posted for the Mississippi Gulf Coast This Weekend?

The Mississippi Gulf Coast does not have a specified beach forecast as the beaches in Alabama and Florida do. However, the close proximity of Biloxi and Gulfport to Orange Beach and Perdido Key where a high occurrence of rip currents is expected suggests the Mississippi Beaches won't be much safer for swimming this weekend.

Those who have concerns about high concentrations of bacteria in the water along Mississippi's Gulf Coast can rest easy knowing that there are currently no beaches under advisories or closed because of that. Perhaps the biggest issue travelers to the Gulf Coast Casinos and Beaches will face is the threat of severe weather. There will be a slight risk of severe storms from Gulfport and Biloxi eastward to Mobile and Pensacola Florida later today and again on Saturday.

What Warnings Are Posted for the Louisiana Gulf Coast This Weekend?

The National Weather Service Forecast Offices that cover Louisiana's Coastline, namely the New Orleans/Baton Rouge and Lake Charles Forecast Offices do not issue an official beach forecast. However, the bigger issue in Louisiana might have more to do with bacteria in the water than dangerous currents. Bathers should be cognizant of the potential for those dangerous currents and pay attention to the local warning flags posted at each beach.

Currently, the Louisiana Beach Monitoring Program is reporting advisories at seven of the twenty-three beaches they monitor. It should be noted that monitoring of the beaches at Grand Isle is not available as those stations are still being under repair from damages brought on by Hurricane Ida.

We would also note that advisories that had been posted earlier this week for Holly Beach in Cameron Parish have now been lifted and all Holly Beach sites are advisory-free heading into the Father's Day Weekend.

What Warnings Are Posted for Texas Beaches including Galveston This Weekend?

As we travel westward along the Gulf Coast toward the Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island this is where rip currents again are being mentioned as a serious hazard for beachgoers. The graphic below is from the National Weather Service Office that serves the Houston/Galveston area. 

Again, local beaches will be displaying warning flags specific to that local area. Regardless of how strong a swimmer you feel you might be, the water will not be the best place to be this weekend.  The Texas Beach Monitoring Program is not showing any issues with beaches in the Galveston area. However, further down the coast near Freeport Texas, there are advisories for high levels of bacteria in the water.

Another issue that all beachgoers will have to deal with this weekend is the excessive heat. The further west you are the hotter it will be. Many locales along the northern Gulf Coast are under heat advisories throughout the weekend so do plan accordingly.

Maybe you could pull out the blender and turn on your favorite Jimmy Buffett tunes and get to wasting away in...you know where.