Alert archive / Wisconsin / Beach Hazards Statements in 2026
Beach Hazards Statement 11, NWS Milwaukee, WI
NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this beach hazards statement at Jul 18, 2026, 2:04 AM CDT for 4 counties in Wisconsin. It took effect at Jul 18, 2026, 7:00 PM CDT. It was in force for 12 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 18, 2026, 2:04 AM CDT (07:04 UTC)
- In effect from
- Jul 18, 2026, 7:00 PM CDT
- Expired
- Jul 19, 2026, 7:00 AM CDT
- In force
- 12 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Milwaukee, WI
Counties Kenosha County, WI, Milwaukee County, WI, Ozaukee County, WI, Racine County, WI
The radar
The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 07:04 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
Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 00:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 173 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
- 1884 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -3 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1453 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 28 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 86 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 193 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.7
- Supercell composite
- 15.5
The text
As transmitted.
402 WHUS43 KMKX 180704 CFWMKX Lakeshore Hazard Message National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 204 AM CDT Sat Jul 18 2026 WIZ060-066-071-072-181515- /O.NEW.KMKX.BH.S.0011.260719T0000Z-260719T1200Z/ Ozaukee-Milwaukee-Racine-Kenosha- 204 AM CDT Sat Jul 18 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Life threatening waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous currents are expected. * WHERE...Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha Counties. * WHEN...From this evening through Sunday morning. * IMPACTS...Dangerous swimming conditions are expected due to high waves and onshore winds. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Stay out of the water and away from dangerous areas like piers and breakwalls. Strong structural and longshore currents are expected. Rip currents are possible. && $$
5 follow-up statements
237 WHUS43 KMKX 181408 CFWMKX Lakeshore Hazard Message National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 908 AM CDT Sat Jul 18 2026 WIZ060-066-071-072-182215- /O.CON.KMKX.BH.S.0011.260719T0000Z-260719T1200Z/ Ozaukee-Milwaukee-Racine-Kenosha- 908 AM CDT Sat Jul 18 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Life threatening waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous currents are expected. * WHERE...Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha Counties. * WHEN...From this evening through Sunday morning. * IMPACTS...Dangerous swimming conditions are expected due to high waves and onshore winds. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Stay out of the water and away from dangerous areas like piers and breakwalls. Strong structural and longshore currents are expected. Rip currents are possible. && $$ Wood
921 WHUS43 KMKX 181748 CFWMKX Lakeshore Hazard Message National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 1248 PM CDT Sat Jul 18 2026 WIZ060-066-071-072-190200- /O.CON.KMKX.BH.S.0011.260719T0000Z-260719T1200Z/ Ozaukee-Milwaukee-Racine-Kenosha- 1248 PM CDT Sat Jul 18 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Life threatening waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous currents are expected. * WHERE...Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha Counties. * WHEN...From this evening through early Sunday morning. * IMPACTS...Dangerous swimming conditions are expected due to high waves and onshore winds. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Stay out of the water and away from dangerous areas like piers and breakwalls. Strong structural and longshore currents are expected. Rip currents are possible. && $$ Wood
540 WHUS43 KMKX 182349 CFWMKX Lakeshore Hazard Message National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 649 PM CDT Sat Jul 18 2026 WIZ060-066-071-072-190800- /O.CON.KMKX.BH.S.0011.260719T0000Z-260719T1200Z/ Ozaukee-Milwaukee-Racine-Kenosha- 649 PM CDT Sat Jul 18 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Life threatening waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous currents are expected. * WHERE...Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha Counties. * WHEN...From this evening through early Sunday morning. * IMPACTS...Dangerous swimming conditions are expected due to high waves and onshore winds. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Stay out of the water and away from dangerous areas like piers and breakwalls. Strong structural and longshore currents are expected. Rip currents are possible. && $$
069 WHUS43 KMKX 190550 CFWMKX Lakeshore Hazard Message National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 1250 AM CDT Sun Jul 19 2026 WIZ060-066-071-072-191200- /O.CON.KMKX.BH.S.0011.000000T0000Z-260719T1200Z/ Ozaukee-Milwaukee-Racine-Kenosha- 1250 AM CDT Sun Jul 19 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 AM CDT THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Life threatening waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous currents are expected. * WHERE...Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha Counties. * WHEN...From this evening through early Sunday morning. * IMPACTS...Dangerous swimming conditions are expected due to high waves and onshore winds. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Stay out of the water and away from dangerous areas like piers and breakwalls. Strong structural and longshore currents are expected. Rip currents are possible. && $$
283 WHUS43 KMKX 191203 CFWMKX Lakeshore Hazard Message National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 703 AM CDT Sun Jul 19 2026 WIZ060-066-071-072-191315- /O.EXP.KMKX.BH.S.0011.000000T0000Z-260719T1200Z/ Ozaukee-Milwaukee-Racine-Kenosha- 703 AM CDT Sun Jul 19 2026 ...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT HAS EXPIRED... Wave have diminished for beach surf zones across southern Wisconsin. With light and variable winds expected today waves will continue to diminish. $$
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 Milwaukee, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before this beach hazards statement went out at Jul 17, 11:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Slight chances for thunderstorms early Sat AM through late morning.
- Wildfire smoke is expected to return Saturday night and Sunday with unhealthy air and reduced visibility expected.
- High Swim Risk conditions may occur at all southern WI beaches Saturday night.
- Numerous thunderstorms, possibly severe, are forecast Monday and Monday night.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 17, 11:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 29 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 1135 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Slight chances for thunderstorms early Sat AM through late morning. - Wildfire smoke is expected to return Saturday night and Sunday with unhealthy air and reduced visibility expected. - High Swim Risk conditions may occur at all southern WI beaches Saturday night. - Numerous thunderstorms, possibly severe, are forecast Monday and Monday night. && .SHORT TERM... Issued 1134 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2026 Tonight through Sunday night: The CAMs continue to dissipate the current MCS over west central WI over the next 2-3 hours but will still have at least slight chance PoPs as a wly 850 mb jet of 30 kts and thermal ridge shifts swd into the area just ahead of the approaching cold front. PWATs will increase to 1.6-1.9 inches during the overnight with elevated CAPE of 2000 J/KG expected. The CIN will be weak but so is the forcing. The cold front will track from nw-se across the area from 10-16Z with a continued possibility for development as it moves toward the IL border. Sfc based convection may become possible toward the border by late morning, but much of the expected storm development will be in nrn IL in the afternoon. Nly winds and weak cold advection will then settle over srn WI for the afternoon including a lake breeze boosted by the front. High temps in the middle to upper 80s will likely be reached by noon over far ern WI before cooler lake air moves inland. Heat index values on Sat will range from the upper 80s north of I-94 to the lower 90s south. High pressure will then settle over the nrn Great Lakes and nrn WI Sat nt, then moving to lower MI and Lake Huron on Sun. Cooler low temps in the lower to middle 60s is forecast Sat nt with highs Sun in the upper 70s to lower 80s. The high temp forecast for Sun is accounting for fairly widespread smoke that will arrive Sat nt and continue through Sun. Gehring && .LONG TERM... Issued 1134 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2026 Monday through Friday: For Mon-Mon nt a couple upper waves over Canada will support a 996 mb low across nrn Ontario. A wly low level jet of 30-40 kt and associated thetae advection will arrive on Mon with fairly widespread showers and storms expected. The cold front and the srn periphery of the shortwave trough will follow Mon nt, but there is uncertainty if the warm front will pass or stall over sw WI or farther west due to the earlier storms and clouds. Nevertheless the baroclinic zone and CAPE gradient will likely be sufficiently close for a additional storms and severe potential over some of the area. Afterward nwly winds and cold advection will prevail on Tue but with temps still near normal. Nwly flow aloft and high pressure gradually moving from the Upper MS River Valley to the Mid Atlantic States is the trend for the remainder of the week. Little to no chances for rain with temps near normal. Gehring && .AVIATION... Issued 1134 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2026 VFR conditions tnt-Sat but with low chances for showers and thunderstorms early Sat AM into early Sat PM. Sct-bkn040-060 expected during this period. Areas to possibly widespread smoke will then move into srn WI late Sat afternoon through the evening and continue well into Sunday. Vsbys may fall to 1-2SM with the smoke with areas of Cigs of 2-3kft. Gehring && .MARINE... Issued 1134 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2026 Areas of smoke will continue over the north half of the lake tonight. Otherwise breezy southwest to west winds will develop ahead of a cold front. The low pressure area around 29.7 inches will track from just north of Lake Superior tonight across southern Quebec Saturday afternoon and deepen to 29.4 inches. Its trailing cold front will track from northern Lake Michigan Saturday morning to far southern Lake Michigan by early afternoon. Smoke will return to Lake Michigan behind the cold front and may become dense once again. Breezy northerly winds are forecast behind the cold front and will linger into Saturday evening. Winds then quickly taper Saturday night, as high pressure around 30.1 inches moves over the northern Great Lakes. Northeast to light and variable winds are then expected through Sunday into Sunday night. Gusty south to southwest winds may then develop Monday into Monday night, with gusty west to northwest winds possible into the middle of next week. A Small Craft Advisory will likely be needed Sat nt from Sheboygan to Winthrop Harbor due to breezy northeast winds and building waves. Gehring && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...None. LM...None. && Visit us at weather.gov/milwaukee Follow us on Facebook, X, and YouTube at: www.facebook.com/NWSMilwaukee www.x.com/NWSMilwaukee www.youtube.com/NWSMilwaukee
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 17, 9:59 PM CDT, 4 hours 5 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 959 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2026 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-190300- Marquette-Green Lake-Fond du Lac-Sheboygan-Sauk-Columbia-Dodge- Washington-Ozaukee-Iowa-Dane-Jefferson-Waukesha-Milwaukee- Lafayette-Green-Rock-Walworth-Racine-Kenosha- 959 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of east central Wisconsin, south central Wisconsin and southeast Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Tonight A slight chance of thunderstorms through the night. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Friday Wildfire smoke is expected to contribute to lower visibilities and unhealthy air quality again this weekend especially Saturday night and Sunday. Low chances of thunderstorms Saturday morning into the early afternoon. Numerous thunderstorms, possibly severe, Monday into Monday night. High Swim Risk conditions may occur at all southern WI beaches Saturday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed Monday and Monday night. LMZ643>646-190300- Sheboygan to Port Washington WI- Port Washington to North Point Light WI- North Point Light to Wind Point WI- Wind Point WI to Winthrop Harbor IL- 959 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the nearshore waters from Sheboygan Wisconsin to Winthrop Harbor Illinois. .DAY ONE...Tonight Slight chances for thunderstorms late. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Friday Wildfire smoke will return late Saturday afternoon and evening and continue through Sunday. Lower visibilities and dense smoke may be possible. Low chances for thunderstorms Saturday then numerous thunderstorms, possibly severe, Monday afternoon into Monday night. Small Craft Advisory conditions expected Saturday night. LMZ080-261-362-364-366-563-565-567-669-671-673-675-777-779-868- 870-872-874-876-878-190300- Lake Michigan Michigan City IN to St. Joseph MI 5 NM offshore to mid-line of lake.- Lake Michigan from Seul Choix Point to Rock Island Passage 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan South of a line from Seul Choix Point to the Mackinac Bridge and North of a line from Charlevoix MI to South Fox Island 5NM offshore- Lake Michigan from Charlevoix to Point Betsie MI 5NM Offshore to mid lake- Lake Michigan from Point Betsie to Manistee MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Rock Island Passage to Sturgeon Bay WI 5NM offshore to mid lake- Lake Michigan from Sturgeon Bay to Two Rivers WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Two Rivers to Sheboygan WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Sheboygan to Port Washington WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Port Washington to North Point Light WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from North Point Light to Wind Point WI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Wind Point WI to Winthrop Harbor IL 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Winthrop Harbor to Wilmette Harbor IL 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Wilmette Harbor to Michigan City in 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Pentwater to Manistee MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Whitehall to Pentwater MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Grand Haven to Whitehall MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from Holland to Grand Haven MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- Lake Michigan from South Haven to Holland MI 5NM offshore to Mid lake- Lake Michigan from St Joseph to South Haven MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake- 959 PM CDT Fri Jul 17 2026 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the open waters of Lake Michigan. .DAY ONE...Tonight Areas of wildfire smoke continues with lower visibility over the north half of the lake. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Friday Widespread smoke will return from north to south across the lake from Saturday afternoon into the evening, and continuing into Sunday. Lower visibility and dense smoke is possible. Low chances of thunderstorms Saturday then numerous thunderstorms, possibly severe, for Monday into Monday night. Southerly gales possible Monday afternoon and evening. www.weather.gov/mkx
The office that day
Everything else NWS Milwaukee, WI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 2:06 AM CDT | Small Craft Advisory | MKX | 29 hr | |
| Jul 18, 3:33 AM CDT | Marine Dense Smoke Advisory | MKX | 51 hr |
Nearby
Beach Hazards Statements in Wisconsin, 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.