Shortly after Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen left the safety of Jupiter Inlet Friday afternoon, the skies darkened.
A line of strong thunderstorms was tracked by the National Weather Service, smacking Hobe Sound with wind gusts of up to 40 mph and opening the skies to torrential rains. By 2:30, the weather had reached Jupiter.
It’s the kind of storm South Florida summers are known for. They kick up quickly, turning friendly seas dangerous in mere minutes.
“Had they been out over the open water, they could have had some rapidly changing conditions,” said John Pendergrast, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Melbourne, about the two 14-year-olds who have been missing since Friday. “It’s too hard to say whether weather directly could have caused whatever it is that happened to them, but there were some localized wind gusts and precipitation.”
Pendergrast said it’s not surprising at all that the boat was found more than 60 miles off Daytona Beach. The strong Gulf Stream current would carry the boat that far.
Officials are still searching for the boys, but the weather, again, may be a factor. While the morning will remain still, storms will boil up this afternoon.
“There’s not too much out there at the moment, but chances things will change increase in the afternoon,” Pendergrast said.
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