More Dangerous Shore Conditions

The combination of Hurricane Fabian, Tropical Storm Henri and a full moon will trigger potentially dangerous shore conditions in New Jersey and Delaware until next Wednesday.

Expect difficult swimming conditions at the shore through next Wednesday. The triple combination of Fabian, Henri and next Wednesday's full moon will churn up nearby ocean waters for almost a week and cause beach erosion.

Hurricane Fabian was nearing Bermuda on Friday afternoon and was far away from the Philadelphia area, but it was expected to churn up water at the Jersey and Delaware shores over the weekend.

Next, the same areas were expected to be influenced by Tropical Storm Henri, which was moving slowly over Florida on Friday. Henri's wake should be magnified by high tides associated with Wednesday's full moon.

On Thursday, National Weather Service officials said there's a high risk for rip currents through this weekend as swells from the storm build and pound the shore. The risk of drownings could increase because the weekend weather will be sunny while dangerous swimming conditions exist.

Also, there could be fewer lifeguards on duty after the Labor Day weekend enter the official summer shore season.

And some more-adventurous surfers and water-sports enthusiasts will be flocking to the shore to take advantage of the conditions.

Experts recommend swimming only if lifeguards are on duty and warn that any swimmers should follow the directions of lifeguards and the beach patrol.

Boating conditions could also be tricky.

SURVIVING A RIPTIDE
* Check conditions before you go in the water
* Try to swim close to a lifeguard tower
* If you get caught in a rip current, don't panic
* Try to wave your hand in the air to get someone's attention
* Swim parallel to the shore and eventually the surf will push you back into shore safely

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