2009 Great Lakes Rip Current Conference

www.seagrant.umn.edu/rip

When: June 4, 2009

9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Where: Lafayette Community Center

3026 Minnesota Ave

Duluth, Minnesota

National experts on rip currents and hypothermia will discuss the mechanics of how, why, and where rip currents form in the Great Lakes, our ability to forecast rip current conditions, and how cold water can affect rescues.

Nationally, over 100 deaths a year are caused by rip currents, more than tornadoes or lightning, and the Great Lakes are not immune. From 2002 through 2003, 18 people died in Lake Michigan, and a young man drowned in a rip current in Lake Superior off of Minnesota's Park Point. Deaths can be avoided by knowing what rip currents are, how to spot them, the conditions in which they form, and how to escape. The 2009 Great Lakes Rip Current Conference, which is open to the public, will address these topics.

Pre-registration and a $10 fee for lunch are required by June 1. The registration form is available online at: www.seagrant.umn.edu/rip.

For more information, contact: Jesse Schomberg, Minnesota Sea Grant, at 218-726-6182 or jschombe@umn.edu; or Dean Packingham, National Weather Service, at Dean.Packingham@noaa.gov.

Sponsors: Minnesota Sea Grant and the National Weather Service office in Duluth.

Posted on May 19, 2009