Alert archive / North Carolina / Rip Current Statements in 2026
Rip Current Statement 15, NWS Wilmington, NC
NWS Wilmington, NC issued this rip current statement at Aug 3, 2026, 7:54 PM EDT for Brunswick County, North Carolina; Horry County, South Carolina. It took effect at Aug 4, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT. It was in force for 14 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 3, 2026, 7:54 PM EDT (23:54 UTC)
- In effect from
- Aug 4, 2026, 6:00 AM EDT
- Expired
- Aug 4, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 14 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Wilmington, NC
Counties Brunswick County, NC, Horry County, SC
The radar
The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 16 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:56 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
Charleston AFB, SC (KCHS), launched 12:00Z, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 176 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
- 335 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -32 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 609 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 17 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 39 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 53 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
425 WHUS42 KILM 032354 CFWILM Coastal Hazard Message National Weather Service Wilmington NC 754 PM EDT Mon Aug 3 2026 NCZ110-SCZ054-041000- /O.EXP.KILM.RP.S.0014.000000T0000Z-260804T0000Z/ /O.NEW.KILM.RP.S.0015.260804T1000Z-260805T0000Z/ Coastal Brunswick-Coastal Horry- 754 PM EDT Mon Aug 3 2026 ...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM EDT TUESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING... ...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected. * WHERE...In North Carolina, Coastal Brunswick County. In South Carolina, Northern Coastal Horry County. * WHEN...From 6 AM EDT Tuesday through Tuesday 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. && $$ NCZ106-108-SCZ056-040100- /O.EXP.KILM.RP.S.0014.000000T0000Z-260804T0000Z/ Coastal Pender-Coastal New Hanover-Coastal Georgetown- 754 PM EDT Mon Aug 3 2026 ...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... With weakening swell, the rip current risk is expected to be Moderate at local east-facing beaches on Wednesday. $$
2 follow-up statements
677 WHUS42 KILM 040737 CFWILM Coastal Hazard Message National Weather Service Wilmington NC 337 AM EDT Tue Aug 4 2026 NCZ110-SCZ054-050000- /O.CON.KILM.RP.S.0015.260804T1000Z-260805T0000Z/ Coastal Brunswick-Coastal Horry- 337 AM EDT Tue Aug 4 2026 ...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected. * WHERE...In North Carolina, Coastal Brunswick County. In South Carolina, Coastal Horry County. * WHEN...Today. * 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. && $$
915 WHUS42 KILM 042358 CFWILM Coastal Hazard Message National Weather Service Wilmington NC 758 PM EDT Tue Aug 4 2026 NCZ110-SCZ054-050100- /O.EXP.KILM.RP.S.0015.000000T0000Z-260805T0000Z/ Coastal Brunswick-Coastal Horry- 758 PM EDT Tue Aug 4 2026 ...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK WILL EXPIRE AT 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING... Weakened southerly swell will aid in lower rip current risk for Brunswick and Horry county beaches Wednesday. $$ 19
The office that day
Everything else NWS Wilmington, NC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2, 8:02 PM EDT | Beach Hazards Statement | ILM | New Hanover, Pender | 8 hr |
| Aug 2, 8:02 PM EDT | Rip Current Statement | ILM | Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender | 24 hr |
| Aug 3, 3:46 AM EDT | Special Marine Warning | ILM | 89 min | |
| Aug 3, 1:24 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | ILM | Pender | 36 min |
| Aug 3, 3:37 PM EDT | Areal Flood Advisory | ILM | Columbus | 113 min |
| Aug 3, 4:24 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | ILM | Brunswick | 36 min |
| Aug 3, 4:08 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | ILM | Williamsburg | 37 min |
| Aug 3, 4:38 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | ILM | Florence | 22 min |
| Aug 3, 5:08 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | ILM | Marion | 37 min |
| Aug 3, 5:31 PM EDT | Special Weather Statement | ILM | Marlboro | 29 min |
| Aug 3, 5:46 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | ILM | Marlboro | 16 min |
| Aug 3, 6:07 PM EDT | Areal Flood Advisory | ILM | Darlington, Marlboro | 113 min |
| Aug 3, 6:44 PM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | ILM | Darlington | 2 hr |
Nearby
Rip Current Statements in North Carolina, 2026Rip Current Statements in South Carolina, 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.