Alert archive / Massachusetts / Rip Current Statements in 2026

Rip Current Statement 14, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

September 18, 20266 counties in Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this rip current statement at Sep 18, 2026, 1:55 PM EDT for 6 counties in Massachusetts. It took effect at Sep 19, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT. It was in force for 12 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 18, 2026, 1:55 PM EDT (17:55 UTC)
In effect from
Sep 19, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT
Expired
Sep 19, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
12 hr
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA

Counties Barnstable County, MA, Essex County, MA, Nantucket County, MA, Norfolk County, MA, Plymouth County, MA, Suffolk County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 37 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:01 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

Gray, ME (KGYX), launched 12:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 211 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, Gray, ME at 12:00Z on 2026-09-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Gray, ME at 12:00Z on 2026-09-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -44 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
729 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

173 
WHUS41 KBOX 181755
CFWBOX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
155 PM EDT Fri Sep 18 2026

MAZ007-015-016-019-022-024-190700-
/O.NEW.KBOX.RP.S.0014.260919T1200Z-260920T0000Z/
Eastern Essex MA-Suffolk MA-Eastern Norfolk MA-
Eastern Plymouth MA-Barnstable MA-Nantucket MA-
155 PM EDT Fri Sep 18 2026

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

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Eastern Essex MA, Suffolk MA, Eastern Norfolk MA, 
  Eastern Plymouth MA, Barnstable MA and Nantucket MA Counties.

* WHEN...From Saturday morning through Saturday 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.

&&

$$

Frank
2 follow-up statements
480 
WHUS41 KBOX 190632
CFWBOX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
232 AM EDT Sat Sep 19 2026

MAZ007-015-016-019-022-024-200000-
/O.CON.KBOX.RP.S.0014.260919T1200Z-260920T0000Z/
Eastern Essex MA-Suffolk MA-Eastern Norfolk MA-
Eastern Plymouth MA-Barnstable MA-Nantucket MA-
232 AM EDT Sat Sep 19 2026

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

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected.

* WHERE...Eastern Essex MA, Suffolk MA, Eastern Norfolk MA, 
  Eastern Plymouth MA, Barnstable MA and Nantucket MA Counties.

* WHEN...From 8 AM EDT this morning through 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.

&&

$$
871 
WHUS41 KBOX 200023
CFWBOX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
823 PM EDT Sat Sep 19 2026

MAZ007-015-016-019-022-024-200130-
/O.EXP.KBOX.RP.S.0014.000000T0000Z-260920T0000Z/
Eastern Essex MA-Suffolk MA-Eastern Norfolk MA-
Eastern Plymouth MA-Barnstable MA-Nantucket MA-
823 PM EDT Sat Sep 19 2026

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK HAS EXPIRED...

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 18, 11:32 AM EDTSmall Craft AdvisoryBOX21 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.