Alert archive / North Carolina / Beach Hazards Statements in 2026
Beach Hazards Statement 9, NWS Wilmington, NC
NWS Wilmington, NC issued this beach hazards statement at May 5, 2026, 7:51 PM EDT for New Hanover County, Pender County, North Carolina; Georgetown County, Horry County, South Carolina. It took effect at May 6, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT. It was in force for 14 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 5, 2026, 7:51 PM EDT (23:51 UTC)
- In effect from
- May 6, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT
- Expired
- May 6, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 14 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Wilmington, NC
Counties New Hanover County, NC, Pender County, NC, Georgetown County, SC, Horry County, SC
The radar
The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 7 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:49 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
Newport, NC (KMHX), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 172 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1236 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 34 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 15 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
608 WHUS42 KILM 052351 CFWILM Coastal Hazard Message National Weather Service Wilmington NC 751 PM EDT Tue May 5 2026 NCZ106-SCZ054-070000- /O.NEW.KILM.BH.S.0009.260506T1000Z-260507T0000Z/ Coastal Pender-Coastal Horry- 751 PM EDT Tue May 5 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM EDT WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING... * WHAT...Strong south to north longshore current. There is also a Moderate Risk of rip currents expected. * WHERE...In North Carolina, Coastal Pender County. In South Carolina, Coastal Horry County. * WHEN...From 6 AM EDT Wednesday through Wednesday evening. * IMPACTS...Longshore currents can sweep swimmers and surfers into rip currents, piers, jetties, and other hazardous areas. It may sweep swimmers off their feet, making it difficult to return to shore. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Caution should be used when in or near the water. Check with lifeguards before entering the ocean for possible hazards you may be swept into. && $$ NCZ108-SCZ056-070000- /O.NEW.KILM.BH.S.0009.260506T1000Z-260507T0000Z/ Coastal New Hanover-Coastal Georgetown- 751 PM EDT Tue May 5 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM EDT WEDNESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING... * WHAT...Strong south to north longshore longshore current. * WHERE...In North Carolina, Coastal New Hanover County. In South Carolina, Coastal Georgetown County. * WHEN...From 6 AM EDT Wednesday through Wednesday evening. * IMPACTS...Longshore currents can sweep swimmers and surfers into rip currents, piers, jetties, and other hazardous areas. It may sweep swimmers off their feet, making it difficult to return to shore. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Caution should be used when in or near the water. Check with lifeguards before entering the ocean for possible hazards you may be swept into. && $$ LEW
2 follow-up statements
117 WHUS42 KILM 060622 CFWILM Coastal Hazard Message National Weather Service Wilmington NC 222 AM EDT Wed May 6 2026 SCZ054-070000- /O.CON.KILM.BH.S.0009.260506T1000Z-260507T0000Z/ Coastal Horry- 222 AM EDT Wed May 6 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Strong south to north longshore current. There is also a Moderate Risk of rip currents. * WHERE...Coastal Horry County. * WHEN...From 6 AM EDT this morning through this evening. * IMPACTS...Longshore currents can sweep swimmers and surfers into rip currents, piers, jetties, and other hazardous areas. It may sweep swimmers off their feet, making it difficult to return to shore. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Caution should be used when in or near the water. Check with lifeguards before entering the ocean for possible hazards you may be swept into. && $$ NCZ106-108-SCZ056-070000- /O.CON.KILM.BH.S.0009.260506T1000Z-260507T0000Z/ Coastal Pender-Coastal New Hanover-Coastal Georgetown- 222 AM EDT Wed May 6 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM EDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Strong south to north longshore current. * WHERE...In North Carolina, Coastal Pender and Coastal New Hanover Counties. In South Carolina, Coastal Georgetown County. * WHEN...From 6 AM EDT this morning through this evening. * IMPACTS...Longshore currents can sweep swimmers and surfers into rip currents, piers, jetties, and other hazardous areas. It may sweep swimmers off their feet, making it difficult to return to shore. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Caution should be used when in or near the water. Check with lifeguards before entering the ocean for possible hazards you may be swept into. && $$
204 WHUS42 KILM 062347 CFWILM Coastal Hazard Message National Weather Service Wilmington NC 747 PM EDT Wed May 6 2026 SCZ054-080000- /O.EXP.KILM.BH.S.0009.000000T0000Z-260507T0000Z/ /O.NEW.KILM.BH.S.0010.260507T1000Z-260508T0000Z/ Coastal Horry- 747 PM EDT Wed May 6 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM EDT THURSDAY THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING... ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Strong south to north longshore current. There is also a Moderate Risk of rip currents expected. * WHERE...Coastal Horry County. * WHEN...From 6 AM EDT Thursday through Thursday evening. * IMPACTS...Longshore currents can sweep swimmers and surfers into rip currents, piers, jetties, and other hazardous areas. It may sweep swimmers off their feet, making it difficult to return to shore. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Caution should be used when in or near the water. Check with lifeguards before entering the ocean for possible hazards you may be swept into. && $$ NCZ106-108-SCZ056-080000- /O.EXP.KILM.BH.S.0009.000000T0000Z-260507T0000Z/ /O.NEW.KILM.BH.S.0010.260507T1000Z-260508T0000Z/ Coastal Pender-Coastal New Hanover-Coastal Georgetown- 747 PM EDT Wed May 6 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM EDT THURSDAY THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING... ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Strong south to north longshore current. There is also a Moderate Risk of rip currents expected. * WHERE...In North Carolina, Coastal Pender and Coastal New Hanover Counties. In South Carolina, Coastal Georgetown County. * WHEN...From 6 AM EDT Thursday through Thursday evening. * IMPACTS...Longshore currents can sweep swimmers and surfers into rip currents, piers, jetties, and other hazardous areas. It may sweep swimmers off their feet, making it difficult to return to shore. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Caution should be used when in or near the water. Check with lifeguards before entering the ocean for possible hazards you may be swept into. && $$
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 Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before this beach hazards statement went out at May 5, 6:21 PM EDT, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- 1) Gradual warming is expected through Wednesday followed by showers and thunderstorms ahead of a cold front Thursday. 2) Shower chances will increase over the latter half of the weekend as a disturbance moves across the Southeast followed by a cold front.
Area forecast discussion, May 5, 6:21 PM EDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 621 PM EDT Tue May 5 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... Gusty southerly winds will continue thru early this evening. This a result of a tightened sfc pg combined with the inland push of the sea breeze. After sunset, will take out the sea breeze to the wind equation leaving a slowly somewhat relaxed gradient by midnight resulting in south to southwest winds diminishing to around 5 mph or less thru the night. && .KEY MESSAGES... 1) Gradual warming is expected through Wednesday followed by showers and thunderstorms ahead of a cold front Thursday. 2) Shower chances will increase over the latter half of the weekend as a disturbance moves across the Southeast followed by a cold front. && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1: Gradual warming is expected through Wednesday followed by showers and thunderstorms ahead of a cold front Thursday. As high pressure lifts northeastward tonight into Wednesday morning, a coastal trough will rotate northwestward toward the southeastern NC coast. Increasing low level moisture with this trough could produce a few showers near the coast, this evening through early Wednesday morning. Further increases in low level moisture are expected to occur on Wednesday. Winds turn SW-erly tomorrow which should tend to keep offshore showers along the coastal trough just offshore. A stray shower remains possible along a mesoscale convergence zone near the coast. High rain chances return Thursday as a deepening mid to upper level trough pushes a cold front closer. Increasing upper-level support will produce heavier showers and some thunderstorms ahead of the front, however the severe potential is not particularly high due to cloud cover and deep-layer flow being parallel to the front. Cooler and drier air will follow behind the front for Friday with dry high pressure in place into the weekend. KEY MESSAGE 2:Shower chances will increase over the latter half of the weekend as a disturbance moves across the Southeast followed by a cold front. May see a couple of waves of low pressure run across the deep South into the Southeast over the weekend. Looks like main shower activity on Sat should remain south, with more in the way of possible clouds in our area. By Sunday, pcp chances will increase as a shortwave tracks across the Southeast followed by a cold front moving through from the northwest. Models are not aligned with the exact evolution of these features, but overall expect some clouds and potential for showers or thunderstorms in spots over the weekend, especially later on Sunday. && .AVIATION /22Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... VFR conditions will prevail through midday Wednesday. Thicker cirrus is expected on Wednesday afternoon. Winds will gust to around 20-25 knots tomorrow afternoon at the coastal terminals as a result of the seabreeze. Extended Forecast... An approaching cold front Thursday may produce early morning stratus along with some relatively brief restrictions within showers or thunderstorms during the day. Mostly VFR conditions are expected Friday and Saturday. && .MARINE... Through Wednesday... A stiff sea breeze continues to create choppy seas near the coast this afternoon. Gradient winds remain elevated tonight and Wednesday ahead of an approaching cold front on Thursday. Seas increase from 1-2 feet tonight through to 3-4 feet by Wednesday night. Wednesday night through Saturday...Sub-SCA conditions continue into Wednesday night with SSW flow around 10 to 20 kts on the west side of offshore sfc high pressure. Winds and seas then ramp up through the day Thursday as the pressure gradient tightens with an approaching cold front. Overall, winds will be 15 to 20 kts within 20 nm with some higher gusts, and seas mainly 3 to 5 ft Thu aftn into Thu evening. Therefore, at this time, it does not look like a Small Craft Advisory will be needed. Beyond 20 nm, in the 20-60 nm range, winds could reach up to 20 to 25 kts with gusts to 30 and seas up to 6 ft Thu aftn into Thu evening. Winds and seas will drop off after midnight into Fri morning in offshore flow behind cold front. Marine conditions improve for Fri and Sat as sfc high pressure builds over the waters. Another increase in winds and seas will occur late Sun into Mon as a cold front approaches the waters. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...None. SC...None. MARINE...None. && WHAT HAS CHANGED...DCH KEY MESSAGES...ILM DISCUSSION...ILM AVIATION...21 MARINE...RGZ/21
Nearby
Beach Hazards Statements in North Carolina, 2026Beach Hazards Statements in South Carolina, 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.