Hurricane Larry to bring rip current threat to NC beaches

At the beach for the holiday? Swells from the distant Hurricane Larry will lead to an enhanced risk for life-threatening rip currents and rough surf this week up and down the North Carolina coast.

Rip currents: Safety tips and what to know

There will be a moderate threat of rip currents Monday and Tuesday. However, the threat of moderate to high rip currents will be possible from midweek through the weekend due to increased swells.

Seas as high as 10 to 12 feet will be possible.

Hurricane Larry has persisted as a strong Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds 96-112 mph.

The storm is expected to maintain a fairly steady strength through the middle of the week as it tracks to the northwest, near and just to the east of Bermuda.

If you get caught in a rip current, do not try to swim back to shore or panic. These two actions will only cause you to get tired more quickly, which increases the danger.

Instead, swim parallel to the shore. If you are too tried to swim parallel, you can try calmly floating until the current dies down, or you can wave and yell to try to get the attention of a lifeguard.