Top weather forecasting official dies in rough surf after rip current warning was issued

A top government forecasting official died Monday in surf on North Carolina’s Outer Banks after the National Weather Service issued a warning about the high risk of rip currents in the area earlier in the day.

Lifeguards pulled William Lapenta, 58, from surf near the coastal town of Duck, according to local officials.

While it is not clear that Lapenta had gotten caught in a rip current, surf conditions were likely a factor in his death, town spokeswoman Christian Legner said Wednesday

Lapenta had served as the director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction, The Weather Channel reports. In that role, he oversaw U.S. agencies responsible for issuing forecasts and warnings for aviation, ocean, storm and climate conditions.

In recent months, Lapenta had moved to become acting director the Office of Weather and Air Quality, a part of NOAA Research — the research branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to The Weather Channel.

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This year, 41 people have died in rip currents in the U.S., seven of those deaths occurred in North Carolina, according to the weather service.

“Bill Lapenta was a friend to us all. He was a brilliant scientist, a leader in weather modeling, an amazing partner and collaborator, an energetic mentor, and a devoted husband and father,” National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini said in a statement.

Lapenta's wife Cathy, is also a meteorologist, according to his weather service biography. They lived in northern Virginia.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: William Lapenta of NOAA dies in rough North Carolina surf