Dangerous rip currents from Hurricane Ernesto to impact US Atlantic beaches

Even though Hurricane Ernesto will stay well offshore of the United States through this weekend, waves expanding outward from the storm will create rough surf and strong rip currents along the Atlantic coast beaches.

The summer vacation season hasn't ended yet for everyone, with many seeking the less crowded days of the middle to late part of August to enjoy some time at the beach. However, Hurricane Ernesto may cause trouble, and Debby is still causing trouble in some areas, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.

Trouble in the surf zone

Ernesto's expanding winds will push on the ocean surface and create large swells that will spread outward from the center -- much like a plunger in a bathtub.

As Hurricane Ernesto spins northward and strengthens before approaching Bermuda, seas and surf will build along the East Coast of the United States from south to north into this weekend.

Seas and surf will first build along the southern Atlantic coast into the end of the week and then along the mid-Atlantic and New England coasts this weekend while Ernesto takes a track more than 500 miles offshore.

As those swells approach the shallow waters along the U.S. beaches, wave action will increase, and correspondingly, the number and strength of rip currents will increase. This occurs as increasing waves carry more water shoreward than can escape before the next wave arrives. The water then returns to the deeper areas through narrow channels known as rip currents.

Rip currents, which are almost always present anytime there are breakers, may appear as a quiet surf zone, but the water within is racing out to sea.

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Swimmers are strongly urged to only swim under the watchful eye of lifeguards and obey local restrictions due to weather and surf conditions.

If you become caught in a rip current, experts advise it may be best not to fight the flow of water but either swim parallel to the shore or just float until the seaward push subsides in a few minutes to avoid exhaustion.

While rip currents will create dangers in the surf zone, a slow-moving storm will spread drenching downpours, and locally severe thunderstorms into the Eastern states this weekend.

Rainfree conditions tend to hold on the longest at the beach in this setup, but as the weekend progresses, the chance of downpours will increase at along the shoreline.

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