Alert archive / Massachusetts / Rip Current Statements in 2026

Rip Current Statement 11, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

August 23, 2026Dukes County, Nantucket County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this rip current statement at Aug 23, 2026, 1:06 PM EDT for Dukes County, Nantucket County, Massachusetts. It took effect at Aug 24, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT. It was in force for 10 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 23, 2026, 1:06 PM EDT (17:06 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 24, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT
Expired
Aug 24, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT
In force
10 hr
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA

Counties Dukes County, MA, Nantucket County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:10 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, 5.1 hours before the alert went out and 216 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 2026-08-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 338 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 2026-08-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 127 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
338 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
468 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
127 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
173 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

904 
WHUS41 KBOX 231706
CFWBOX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
106 PM EDT Sun Aug 23 2026

MAZ024-240615-
/O.NEW.KBOX.RP.S.0011.260824T1200Z-260824T2200Z/
Nantucket MA-
106 PM EDT Sun Aug 23 2026

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

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Nantucket MA County.

* WHEN...From Monday morning through Monday 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.

&&

$$

Frank
3 follow-up statements
556 
WHUS41 KBOX 231857
CFWBOX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
257 PM EDT Sun Aug 23 2026

MAZ024-240900-
/O.CON.KBOX.RP.S.0011.260824T1200Z-260824T2200Z/
Nantucket MA-
257 PM EDT Sun Aug 23 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY MORNING
THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Nantucket MA County.

* WHEN...From Monday morning through Monday 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.

&&

$$

Frank
627 
WHUS41 KBOX 240557
CFWBOX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
157 AM EDT Mon Aug 24 2026

MAZ023-242200-
/O.EXA.KBOX.RP.S.0011.260824T1200Z-260824T2200Z/
Dukes MA-
157 AM EDT Mon Aug 24 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM EDT THIS MORNING
THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Dukes MA County.

* WHEN...From 8 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.

&&

$$

MAZ024-242200-
/O.CON.KBOX.RP.S.0011.260824T1200Z-260824T2200Z/
Nantucket MA-
157 AM EDT Mon Aug 24 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM EDT THIS
MORNING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Nantucket MA County.

* WHEN...From 8 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.

&&

$$
591 
WHUS41 KBOX 241725
CFWBOX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
125 PM EDT Mon Aug 24 2026

MAZ023-024-242200-
/O.CON.KBOX.RP.S.0011.000000T0000Z-260824T2200Z/
Dukes MA-Nantucket MA-
125 PM EDT Mon Aug 24 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EDT THIS
EVENING...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents.

* WHERE...Dukes MA and Nantucket MA Counties.

* WHEN...Until 6 PM EDT this evening.

* 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 23, 12:15 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBOX60 min
Aug 23, 1:07 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningBOX53 min

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.