I wasn't sure where to put this so, Mr. Admin, please move to the appropriate place if necessary. Anyway, the following is an excerpt from the press release about the new Beach Hazards Statement.
NOAA's National Weather Service in San Francisco and Monterey Bay area will begin testing a new "Beach Hazards Statement" to provide a single location for all coastal and beach hazards information, including the expected timing and impacts of the hazard and recommended actions for preparedness and safety.
The agency launched a Weather-Ready Nation initiative in 2011 that has spurred improvements in communicating risks to the public for many types of hazards. This initiative was prompted when Weather Service staff realized that many rescues, injuries and deaths in coastal areas were related to beach hazards not currently addressed in official watches, warnings and advisories. The new statement will include information on routine coastal hazards, such as rip currents, and unusual ecological hazards identified by NOAA's National Ocean Service.
The San Francisco and Monterey Bay area is one of six National Weather Service forecast offices that will begin piloting the new tool on May 15, along with Grand Rapids, Mich.; Newport/Morehead City, N.C.; New Orleans/Baton Rouge, La.; Seattle, Wash.; and Tampa Bay, Fla.
Beach Hazards Statements will inform the public about a wide range of hazards, including rip currents and rough seas, unusually cold water temperatures, potential for lightning along the shoreline, high heat indices and unusual wave conditions. The statement also may include non-weather related ecological hazards impacting beaches, such as chemical spills, harmful algal blooms, high bacteria levels in the ocean, dangerous marine wildlife near beaches and potentially unsafe marine debris.
Rest of press release:
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mtr/marine/BeachHazardsPressRelease.pdf
