Alert archive / Maine / Beach Hazards Statements in 2026
Beach Hazards Statement 22, NWS Caribou, ME
NWS Caribou, ME issued this beach hazards statement at Aug 28, 2026, 9:31 PM EDT for Hancock County, Washington County, Maine. It took effect at Aug 29, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT. It was in force for 12 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 28, 2026, 9:31 PM EDT (01:31 UTC)
- In effect from
- Aug 29, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT
- Expired
- Aug 29, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 12 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Caribou, ME
Counties Hancock County, ME, Washington County, ME
The radar
The Caribou radar (KCBW), 142 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:32 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 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 205 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1109 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -28 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1029 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 53 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 85 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 2.2
The text
As transmitted.
189 WHUS41 KCAR 290131 CFWCAR Coastal Hazard Message National Weather Service Caribou ME 931 PM EDT Fri Aug 28 2026 MEZ029-030-300000- /O.NEW.KCAR.BH.S.0022.260829T1200Z-260830T0000Z/ Coastal Hancock-Coastal Washington- 931 PM EDT Fri Aug 28 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM EDT SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING... * WHAT...The warm air temperatures from the mid 70 to around 80 may cause people to underestimate the dangers of the cold water temperatures which are currently in the 50 to 55 degree range. * WHERE...Coastal Hancock and Coastal Washington Counties. * WHEN...From 8 AM EDT Saturday through Saturday evening. * IMPACTS...The cold water temperatures can quickly cause hypothermia to anyone immersed in the waters. Anyone on boats or paddlecraft should use extreme caution to avoid this threat. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Beach Hazards Statement is issued on days when a significant number of boats and paddlecraft are expected to be out on the water and when warm air temperatures may cause people to underestimate the danger of the cold water. Paddle smart from the start. Always wear your life jacket. Be aware of wind conditions, tides, and localized currents. && $$
1 follow-up statement
374 WHUS41 KCAR 292353 CFWCAR Coastal Hazard Message National Weather Service Caribou ME 753 PM EDT Sat Aug 29 2026 MEZ029-030-300100- /O.EXP.KCAR.BH.S.0022.000000T0000Z-260830T0000Z/ Coastal Hancock-Coastal Washington- 753 PM EDT Sat Aug 29 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... The Beach Hazards Statement will be allowed to expire at 8 PM. $$
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this beach hazards statement went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Caribou, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before this beach hazards statement went out at Aug 28, 2:17 PM EDT, 7 hours 14 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- 1) Showers and thunderstorms rest of this afternoon, some of which may be strong with gusty winds and small hail. 2) System bringing rain showers and chance for thunder moves in Sunday afternoon.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 28, 2:17 PM EDT, 7 hours 14 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Caribou ME 217 PM EDT Fri Aug 28 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... - Adjusted the POP timing for the rest of this afternoon with the cold front (FROPA) timing 60-90min faster than previously modeled. && .KEY MESSAGES... 1) Showers and thunderstorms rest of this afternoon, some of which may be strong with gusty winds and small hail. 2) System bringing rain showers and chance for thunder moves in Sunday afternoon. && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1...Showers and thunderstorms today, some of which may be strong with gusty winds and small hail. KEY MESSAGE 1 DESCRIPTION... Latest KCBW radar and satellite data shows two areas of showers and thunderstorms. First area of storms are along a cold front that is quickly moving through Northern Aroostook County extending back to Moosehead Lake region. There is a secondary area of storms extending from near Bangor and this is convection developing along and just northwest of the marine layer boundary. Temperatures in the 70s and low 80s between these two boundary is allowing for SBCAPE to be around 1500j/kg, 18z CAR RAOB indicating 2048j/kg of SBCAPE. There is 25-30kt of indicated deep layer shear thanks to recent VWP scans. 18z CAR RAOB confirms this thinking but given how fast this cold front is moving storms are moving too fast to fully organize despite the fairly modest mid-level lapse rates. Cannot rule out a few thunderstorms that make it to severe levels but much of the activity will be sub-severe with gusty winds and perhaps small hail but the FZL is around 13kft. KEY MESSAGE 2...System bringing rain showers and chance for thunder moves in Sunday afternoon. KEY MESSAGE 2 DESCRIPTION... Low pressure system in Canada moves eastward this weekend, with trough axis moving through Sunday afternoon. Cold front moves through the state Sunday evening, funneling in some cooler air behind it. Rain moves into the north, generally expanding southeastward during the day Sunday. PWATs generally around 1-1.50 inches based on global and regional model outputs. Global models are keeping precipitation chances pretty modest, around 14 of an inch, while regional models are hinting at some more convective storms developing Sunday evening, bumping up rain totals to one half to three quarters of an inch in isolated locations, predominantly in the north and southeast. Instability parameters include few hundred joules of CAPE, 40-50 kts of effective shear, and some decent low level lapse rates, indicating that a thunderstorm is not out of the question. Heating ahead of the cold front in eastern Maine could aid in initiating some convection along the boundary. Confidence is still low for any severe thunderstorms to develop, given the model disagreement, but regional models are hinting at better instability parameters than earlier indicated. && .AVIATION /09Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... Through 00z This Evening...IFR at BHB due to low cigs. VFR at other terms. PROB30 for -TSRA or VCTS with ongoing TStorms. S winds 5-15kt with gusts up to 20kt. Tonight...IFR/LIFR at BHB due to FG then clears and becomes VFR with FROPA. All other sites VFR FEW cigs or SKC by midnight as skies clear. Light NW winds around 5 kts. Saturday...VFR under SKC. W winds 5 to 10 kts. Saturday night...VFR. Chance for valley fog, which would reduce visibility. Light SW winds. Sunday... MVFR/IFR in afternoon showers and thunderstorms at northern terminals and KBGR. MVFR in showers possible at KBHB. W/SW winds 5 to 10 kts. Sunday night...MVFR with a chance of rain showers. NW winds at 5 to 10 knots. Monday...VFR. NW winds at 5 to 10 knots. Monday night...VFR. Light and variable winds. Tuesday...VFR. Winds E/SE at 5-10kt. && .MARINE... Winds/seas below SCA levels this weekend into early next week. Seas 2 to 4 ft. Fog possible Saturday night. Slight chance for rain showers Sunday night. Winds SW Saturday night into Sunday, and shift W/NW by Monday. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...None. MARINE...None. && DISCUSSION...JS AVIATION...JS
In the hours before
Local storm report, Aug 28, 4:55 PM EDT, 4 hours 36 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Caribou ME
455 PM EDT Fri Aug 28 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0336 PM Hail Greenville 45.46N 69.60W
08/28/2026 E0.25 Inch Piscataquis ME Public
Public sent in video of slightly larger than
pea sized hail.
&&Local storm report, Aug 28, 4:57 PM EDT, 4 hours 34 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Caribou ME
457 PM EDT Fri Aug 28 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0320 PM Hail 4 NNE Greenville 45.51N 69.58W
08/28/2026 E0.25 Inch Piscataquis ME Public
Social media photo of slightly larger than
pea sized hail.
&&Nearby
Beach Hazards Statements in Maine, 2026Every beach hazards 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.