Lapenta, who drowned in the Outer Banks this week. Photo: Courtesy of NOAA
William Lapenta, who led NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction, drowned off the coast of Duck, North Carolina Monday, reportedly while swimming in rough ocean conditions.
An off-duty lifeguard apparently saw Lapenta struggling and notified guards on duty who then went into immediate life-saving mode. They were able to get the meteorologist in but unfortunately he was unresponsive and later pronounced dead.
Lapenta was in a beach area near Pelican Way in Duck. Substantial surf and a rip played a part in his struggles, according to officials, and federal forecasters had apparently warned locals about the conditions.
Ironically, Lapenta headed up a division that also warned civilians about dangerous conditions pertaining to “national and global weather, water, climate and space weather guidance, forecasts, warnings and analyses to help save lives and protect property,” according to NOAA. He was with NASA before joining NOAA.
Lapenta was 58 and leaves behind a wife and two adult children. Earlier this year, Duck, North Carolina was at the center of a beach access controversy.
The American Meteorologist Society has established a fund in Lapenta’s name. You can find it here.
