Alert archive / Michigan / Beach Hazards Statements in 2026

Beach Hazards Statement 18, NWS Grand Rapids, MI

August 21, 2026Mason County, Oceana County, Michigan

NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued this beach hazards statement at Aug 21, 2026, 2:25 AM EDT for Mason County, Oceana County, Michigan. It took effect at Aug 21, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 21, 2026, 2:25 AM EDT (06:25 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 21, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT
Expired
Aug 21, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Grand Rapids, MI

Counties Mason County, MI, Oceana County, MI

The radar

The Grand Rapids radar (KGRR), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:24 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

Detroit, MI (KDTX), launched 00:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 268 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, Detroit, MI at 00:00Z on 2026-08-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Detroit, MI at 00:00Z on 2026-08-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 6 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
-13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1876 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
106 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

712 
WHUS43 KGRR 210625
CFWGRR

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI
225 AM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

MIZ037-043-211600-
/O.NEW.KGRR.BH.S.0018.260821T1800Z-260822T0000Z/
Mason-Oceana-
225 AM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...High wave action, strong currents, and dangerous 
  swimming conditions expected. Piers may be heavily swamped by 
  waves.

* WHERE...Mason and Oceana counties.

* WHEN...From 2 PM EDT this afternoon through this evening.

* IMPACTS...Strong currents can pull swimmers into deeper water 
  and high waves can sweep people off piers.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions
and do not venture out on piers. Please check with your local
authorities on potential beach closures.

&&

$$
3 follow-up statements
794 
WHUS43 KGRR 211425
CFWGRR

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI
1025 AM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

MIZ037-043-220000-
/O.CON.KGRR.BH.S.0018.260821T1800Z-260822T0000Z/
Mason-Oceana-
1025 AM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS
AFTERNOON TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...High wave action, strong currents, and dangerous swimming
  conditions expected.

* WHERE...Mason and Oceana counties.

* WHEN...From 2 PM this afternoon to 8 PM EDT this evening.

* IMPACTS...Strong currents can pull swimmers into deeper water 
  and high waves can sweep people off piers.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions
and do not venture out on piers. Please check with your local
authorities on potential beach closures.

&&

$$
505 
WHUS43 KGRR 211820
CFWGRR

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI
220 PM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

MIZ037-043-220300-
/O.NEW.KGRR.BH.S.0019.260822T1200Z-260824T0300Z/
/O.CON.KGRR.BH.S.0018.000000T0000Z-260822T0000Z/
Mason-Oceana-
220 PM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS
EVENING...
...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING
THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING...

* WHAT...High wave action, strong currents, and dangerous swimming
  conditions expected. Piers may be swamped by waves.

* WHERE...Mason and Oceana counties.

* WHEN...Until 8 PM EDT this evening. Then, from Saturday morning
  through Sunday evening.

* IMPACTS...Strong currents can pull swimmers into deeper water 
  and high waves can sweep people off piers.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions
and do not venture out on piers. Please check with your local
authorities on potential beach closures.

&&

$$

MIZ050-056-064-071-220300-
/O.NEW.KGRR.BH.S.0019.260822T1200Z-260824T0300Z/
Muskegon-Ottawa-Allegan-Van Buren-
220 PM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING
THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING...

* WHAT...High wave action, strong currents, and dangerous 
  swimming conditions expected. Piers may be heavily swamped by 
  waves.

* WHERE...Muskegon, Ottawa, Allegan and Van Buren counties.

* WHEN...From Saturday morning through Sunday evening.

* IMPACTS...Strong currents can pull swimmers into deeper water 
  and high waves can sweep people off piers.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions
and do not venture out on piers. Please check with your local
authorities on potential beach closures.

&&

$$
486 
WHUS43 KGRR 212350
CFWGRR

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI
750 PM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

MIZ037-043-220800-
/O.EXP.KGRR.BH.S.0018.000000T0000Z-260822T0000Z/
/O.CON.KGRR.BH.S.0019.260822T1200Z-260824T0300Z/
Mason-Oceana-
750 PM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY
MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING...

* WHAT...High wave action, strong currents, and dangerous 
  swimming conditions expected. Piers may be heavily swamped by 
  waves.

* WHERE...Mason and Oceana counties.

* WHEN...From Saturday morning through Sunday evening.

* IMPACTS...Strong currents can pull swimmers into deeper water 
  and high waves can sweep people off piers.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions
and do not venture out on piers. Please check with your local
authorities on potential beach closures.

&&

$$

MIZ050-056-064-071-220800-
/O.CON.KGRR.BH.S.0019.260822T1200Z-260824T0300Z/
Muskegon-Ottawa-Allegan-Van Buren-
750 PM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY
MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING...

* WHAT...High wave action, strong currents, and dangerous 
  swimming conditions expected. Piers may be heavily swamped by 
  waves.

* WHERE...Muskegon, Ottawa, Allegan and Van Buren counties.

* WHEN...From Saturday morning through Sunday evening.

* IMPACTS...Strong currents can pull swimmers into deeper water 
  and high waves can sweep people off piers.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions
and do not venture out on piers. Please check with your local
authorities on potential beach closures.

&&

$$

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 Grand Rapids, MI wrote its last area forecast discussion before this beach hazards statement went out at Aug 21, 1:48 AM EDT, 37 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Scattered showers/thunderstorms late Friday into Saturday
  • Cooler and comfortable Sun-Tue then midweek rain chance
Area forecast discussion, Aug 21, 1:48 AM EDT, 37 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Grand Rapids MI
148 AM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Scattered showers/thunderstorms late Friday into Saturday

- Cooler and comfortable Sun-Tue then midweek rain chance

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 204 PM EDT Thu Aug 20 2026

- Scattered showers/thunderstorms late Friday into Saturday

Increasing low-level moisture returns Friday in a weak warm-air
advection zone, ahead of a cold front that is expected to pass
through with a deepening upper-level trough Friday night into
Saturday morning. Models generally have CAPE values around
500-1500 J/kg with about 20 knots of deep layer shear. Scattered
showers and thunderstorms may develop from late in the day Friday
and through the night into part of the day Saturday. Severe
weather potential appears low at this time, though isolated and
temporary intersections of better low-level shear and CAPE can't
be ruled out. Average QPF is approximately 0.1 to 0.25 inches, but
realistically rain totals could be more hit-or-miss, with
isolated spots of over an inch possible.

- Cooler and comfortable Sun-Tue then midweek rain chance

Ensemble agreement in the general pattern from the weekend into
mid next week is fairly good, with troughing over the Great Lakes
evolving into a cutoff low over northeastern parts of the region.
This would likely put Lower Michigan into a northwest flow of
somewhat cooler and drier, more comfortable air Sunday and Monday.
There is a slight chance of daytime showers popping up inland on
Sunday during peak heating underneath the upper-level trough.
Somewhat warmer and more moist air then returns Tuesday ahead of
the next cold front with a chance of showers/storms from late Tue
into Wed.

&&

.AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 148 AM EDT Fri Aug 21 2026

As noted previously, there is a non-zero (10-20 percent) chance of
MVFR visibility restrictions in fog towards sunrise at AZO, BTL,
JXN.

The only other change was to introduce a PROB30 thunder group at
all of the terminals. The relative timing for this among the
terminals is atypical and is explained below.

Earlier thinking was that the threat for showers or thunderstorms
would gradually spread from west to east today. Now, however, high
resolution convection-allowing model guidance suggest there will
be a separate north-axis of scattered shower and thunderstorm
development commencing this afternoon centered somewhere between
US-131 and US-127. This axis of precipitation is displaced east
of the main area of showers and thunderstorms expected across far
western Lower MI and much of Lake MI. That is why we currently
have GRR, located between these two regions, with the overall
latest onset of a PROB30 group.

There is some question regarding the amount of conditional
instability farther east and it could be that SHRA is the end
result instead of TSRA, especially at LAN. We will definitely be
revisiting this for the 12Z package. Regardless, it should be
noted that there will be a continued chance for both SHRA and TSRA
after 00Z at the eastern terminals. This detail was excluded in
this update at those terminals for the sake of brevity.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 204 PM EDT Thu Aug 20 2026

Low waves and low swim risk through early Friday morning.
Southwest winds increase on Friday 10-15 knots gusting to 20-25
knots, particularly north of Whitehall, where a small craft
advisory and beach hazards statement may be needed for the
afternoon. Then behind a cold front and amid northwest flow of
cooler air during Saturday and Sunday, hazardous waves and
currents are likely for swimmers and small craft.

&&

.GRR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MI...None.
MARINE...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...CAS
AVIATION...TJT
MARINE...CAS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Grand Rapids, MI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 2:21 AM EDTSmall Craft AdvisoryGRR18 hr
Aug 21, 2:20 PM EDTBeach Hazards StatementGRRAllegan, Mason, Muskegon, Oceana, Ottawa, Van Buren55 hr
Aug 21, 2:20 PM EDTSmall Craft AdvisoryGRR55 hr
Aug 21, 2:50 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGRRCalhoun40 min
Aug 21, 3:09 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGRRCalhoun2 hr
Aug 21, 3:40 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGRRCalhoun35 min
Aug 21, 6:48 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementGRRIsabella42 min

Nearby

Beach Hazards Statements in Michigan, 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.