Alert archive / Massachusetts / Rip Current Statements in 2026

Rip Current Statement 10, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

August 21, 2026Barnstable County, Norfolk County, Plymouth County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this rip current statement at Aug 21, 2026, 2:51 PM EDT for Barnstable County, Norfolk County, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. It took effect at Aug 22, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT. It was in force for 12 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 21, 2026, 2:51 PM EDT (18:51 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 22, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT
Expired
Aug 22, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT
In force
12 hr
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA

Counties Barnstable County, MA, Norfolk County, MA, Plymouth County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 34 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:51 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Brookhaven, NY (KOKX), launched 12:00Z, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 215 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Brookhaven, NY at 12:00Z on 2026-08-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Brookhaven, NY at 12:00Z on 2026-08-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -11 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
439 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
51 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

197 
WHUS41 KBOX 211851
CFWBOX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
251 PM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

MAZ019-022-221000-
/O.NEW.KBOX.RP.S.0010.260822T1000Z-260822T2200Z/
Eastern Plymouth MA-Barnstable MA-
251 PM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH
SATURDAY AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Eastern Plymouth MA and Barnstable MA Counties.

* WHEN...From Saturday morning through Saturday afternoon.

* IMPACTS...Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away 
  from shore into deeper water.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Swim near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current, relax and
float. Don't swim against the current. If able, swim in a
direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the
shore and call or wave for help.

&&

$$
1 follow-up statement
158 
WHUS41 KBOX 220628
CFWBOX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
228 AM EDT Sat Aug 22 2026

MAZ019-022-222200-
/O.CON.KBOX.RP.S.0010.260822T1000Z-260822T2200Z/
Eastern Plymouth MA-Barnstable MA-
228 AM EDT Sat Aug 22 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM EDT THIS
MORNING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Eastern Plymouth and Barnstable MA Counties.

* WHEN...From 6 AM EDT this morning through this afternoon.

* IMPACTS...Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away 
  from shore into deeper water.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Swim near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current, relax and
float. Don't swim against the current. If able, swim in a
direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the
shore and call or wave for help.

&&

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 12:13 PM EDTSmall Craft AdvisoryBOX6 hr

Nearby

Rip Current Statements in Massachusetts, 2026Every rip current statement in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.