Alert archive / Indiana / Beach Hazards Statements in 2026

Beach Hazards Statement 12, NWS Northern Indiana

September 21, 2026LaPorte County, Indiana

NWS Northern Indiana issued this beach hazards statement at Sep 21, 2026, 9:55 AM CDT for LaPorte County, Indiana. It was in force for 42 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Sep 21, 2026, 9:55 AM CDT (14:55 UTC)
Expired: Sep 23, 2026, 4:00 AM CDT
In force: 42 hr
Issued by: NWS Northern Indiana

County LaPorte County, IN

The radar

The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:57 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

Lincoln, IL (KILX), launched 12:00Z, 2.9 hours before the alert went out and 220 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 567 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 78 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

505 
WHUS43 KIWX 211455
CFWIWX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
1055 AM EDT Mon Sep 21 2026

INZ103-212100-
/O.NEW.KIWX.BH.S.0012.260921T1455Z-260921T2100Z/
Northern La Porte-
955 AM CDT Mon Sep 21 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM CDT THIS
AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...High wave action, strong currents, and dangerous swimming
  conditions expected. Waves of 3 to 5 feet expected.

* WHERE...Northern La Porte county.

* WHEN...Until 4 PM CDT this afternoon.

* 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.
Do not venture out on piers.

&&

$$

7 follow-up statements

568 
WHUS43 KIWX 212057
CFWIWX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
457 PM EDT Mon Sep 21 2026

INZ103-220300-
/O.EXT.KIWX.BH.S.0012.000000T0000Z-260922T0300Z/
Northern La Porte-
357 PM CDT Mon Sep 21 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS
EVENING...

* WHAT...Dangerous swimming conditions expected. Those visiting
  the beach should stay out of the water. 

     *Waves of 3 to 4 feet will subside to 2 to 3 feet.

     *Strong southward flowing longshore current expected.

     *Strong structural current near piers and breakwalls,
      especially on the north sides.

     *Rip currents possible within sandbars.

* WHERE...Northern La Porte county.

* WHEN...Until 10 PM CDT 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.
Do not venture out on piers.

&&

$$

MCD

766 
WHUS43 KIWX 220209
CFWIWX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
1009 PM EDT Mon Sep 21 2026

INZ103-221015-
/O.EXT.KIWX.BH.S.0012.000000T0000Z-260923T0900Z/
Northern La Porte-
909 PM CDT Mon Sep 21 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT NOW IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TUESDAY
NIGHT...

* WHAT...Dangerous swimming conditions expected. Those visiting
  the beach should stay out of the water. 

     *Waves of 2 to 4 feet.

     *Strong southward flowing longshore current expected.

     *Strong structural current near piers and breakwalls,
      especially on the north sides.

     *Rip currents possible within sandbars.

* WHERE...Northern La Porte county.

* WHEN...Through late Tuesday night.

* 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.
Do not venture out on piers.

&&

$$

MCD

833 
WHUS43 KIWX 220738
CFWIWX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
338 AM EDT Tue Sep 22 2026

INZ103-221700-
/O.CON.KIWX.BH.S.0012.000000T0000Z-260923T0900Z/
Northern La Porte-
238 AM CDT Tue Sep 22 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE
TONIGHT...

* WHAT...Dangerous swimming conditions expected. Those visiting
  the beach should stay out of the water. 

     *Waves of 2 to 4 feet.

     *Strong southward flowing longshore current expected.

     *Strong structural current near piers and breakwalls,
      especially on the north sides.

     *Rip currents possible within sandbars.

* WHERE...Northern La Porte county.

* WHEN...Through late tonight.

* 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.
Do not venture out on piers.

&&

$$

627 
WHUS43 KIWX 221530
CFWIWX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
1130 AM EDT Tue Sep 22 2026

INZ103-222330-
/O.CON.KIWX.BH.S.0012.000000T0000Z-260923T0900Z/
Northern La Porte-
1030 AM CDT Tue Sep 22 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE
TONIGHT...

* WHAT...Dangerous swimming conditions expected. Piers will be 
  heavily swamped by waves.

	*Waves of 2 to 4 feet.

    *Strong southward flowing longshore current expected.

	*Strong structural current near piers and breakwalls, especially
	on the north sides.

    *Rip currents possible within sandbars.

* WHERE...Northern La Porte county.

* WHEN...Through late tonight.

* 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.
Do not venture out on piers.

&&

$$

984 
WHUS43 KIWX 222035
CFWIWX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
435 PM EDT Tue Sep 22 2026

INZ103-230445-
/O.CON.KIWX.BH.S.0012.000000T0000Z-260923T0900Z/
Northern La Porte-
335 PM CDT Tue Sep 22 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE
TONIGHT...

* WHAT...Dangerous swimming conditions expected. 

    *Waves of 2 to 4 feet.

    *Strong southward flowing longshore current expected.

	*Strong structural current near piers and breakwalls, especially
	on the north sides.

    *Rip currents possible within sandbars.

* WHERE...Northern La Porte county.

* WHEN...Through late tonight.

* 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.
Do not venture out on piers.

&&

$$

931 
WHUS43 KIWX 230209
CFWIWX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
1009 PM EDT Tue Sep 22 2026

INZ103-230900-
/O.CON.KIWX.BH.S.0012.000000T0000Z-260923T0900Z/
Northern La Porte-
909 PM CDT Tue Sep 22 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM CDT
WEDNESDAY...

* WHAT...Dangerous swimming conditions expected.

    *Waves of 2 to 4 feet subsiding to 1 to 3 feet.

    *Strong southward flowing longshore current expected.

	*Strong structural current near piers and breakwalls, especially
	on the north sides.

    *Rip currents possible within sandbars.

* WHERE...Northern La Porte county.

* WHEN...Through late tonight.

* 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.
Do not venture out on piers.

&&

$$

MCD

277 
WHUS43 KIWX 230848
CFWIWX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
448 AM EDT Wed Sep 23 2026

INZ103-231000-
/O.EXP.KIWX.BH.S.0012.000000T0000Z-260923T0900Z/
Northern La Porte-
348 AM CDT Wed Sep 23 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT WILL EXPIRE AT 4 AM CDT EARLY THIS
MORNING...

Gradient winds continue to decrease allowing waves to drop to 2 to
3 feet this morning. Slow, but continued subsidence of waves is 
expected through the day today, reaching 1 foot by this evening.

$$

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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before this beach hazards statement went out at Sep 21, 5:10 AM CDT, 4 hours 45 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Drier weather ahead the next 7 days, though cannot rule out a few pockets of light showers and sprinkles today into Tuesday.
Below normal temperatures through the end of the week.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 21, 5:10 AM CDT, 4 hours 45 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Northern Indiana
610 AM EDT Mon Sep 21 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Drier weather ahead the next 7 days, though cannot rule out a few
  pockets of light showers and sprinkles today into Tuesday.

- Below normal temperatures through the end of the week.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 237 AM EDT Mon Sep 21 2026

Overall trend through the week will be for below normal temperatures
and primarily dry conditions within low level east-northeast flow on
the southern fringes of an expansive northern Great Lakes high
pressure system. Still can't rule out sporadic pockets of light
showers or sprinkles today given lingering column moisture and
another weak mid level disturbance drifting east atop the primary
frontal zone now well south of the area. Best chances, 20-40%, for
measurable light rain will generally be south of the US 24 corridor
today. A more pronounced shortwave just entering the northern Plains
does shift east over the area Tuesday into Tuesday night. Continued
low level drying will keep any shower/sprinkle activity light and
isolated/scattered at best during this time, with the bulk of the
period dry and cool.

A more notable injection of dry air occurs mid week through the
weekend as an upper level blocking pattern settles in with the local
area generally located in a subsident regime on the backside of a
developing Mid Atlantic negative height anomaly. More in the way of
sunshine and gradual air mass modification should push highs back
into the low to mid 70s by this weekend.

&&

.AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z TUESDAY/...
Issued at 610 AM EDT Mon Sep 21 2026

Northeasterly winds are expected to gust 15-20 knots at times
today between high pressure across the northern Great Lakes,
and a frontal zone now draped over the Ohio Valley. MVFR cigs
will generally hold at KFWA, while remaining mainly in the low
VFR category at KSBN where slightly drier air has funneled in.
Lingering moisture and a weak shortwave may clip KFWA otherwise
today with some patchy drizzle/light showers (30%), and potentially
a brief period of IFR.

&&

.IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IN...None.
OH...None.
MI...None.
MARINE...None.

&&

DISCUSSION...Steinwedel
AVIATION...Steinwedel

The office that day

Everything else NWS Northern Indiana issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Sep 21, 9:54 AM CDT	Small Craft Advisory	IWX		6 hr

Nearby

Beach Hazards Statements in Indiana, 2026 Every 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.