Alert archive / Wisconsin / Beach Hazards Statements in 2026

Beach Hazards Statement 17, NWS Milwaukee, WI

August 14, 2026Milwaukee County, Ozaukee County, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this beach hazards statement at Aug 14, 2026, 1:32 PM CDT for Milwaukee County, Ozaukee County, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. It took effect at Aug 15, 2026, 8:00 AM CDT. It was in force for 11 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 14, 2026, 1:32 PM CDT (18:32 UTC)
In effect from
Aug 15, 2026, 8:00 AM CDT
Expired
Aug 15, 2026, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
11 hr
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI

Counties Milwaukee County, WI, Ozaukee County, WI, Sheboygan County, WI

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 73 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:36 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 text

As transmitted.

322 
WHUS43 KMKX 141832
CFWMKX

Lakeshore Hazard Message
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
132 PM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

WIZ052-060-066-150245-
/O.NEW.KMKX.BH.S.0017.260815T1300Z-260816T0000Z/
Sheboygan-Ozaukee-Milwaukee-
132 PM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

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

* WHAT...Life threatening waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous 
  currents are expected.

* WHERE...Sheboygan, Ozaukee and Milwaukee Counties.

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

* 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
869 
WHUS43 KMKX 142349
CFWMKX

Lakeshore Hazard Message
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
649 PM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

WIZ052-060-066-150800-
/O.CON.KMKX.BH.S.0017.260815T1300Z-260816T0000Z/
Sheboygan-Ozaukee-Milwaukee-
649 PM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

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

* WHAT...Life threatening waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous 
  currents are expected.

* WHERE...Sheboygan, Ozaukee and Milwaukee Counties.

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

* 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.

&&

$$

Sheppard
274 
WHUS43 KMKX 150542
CFWMKX

Lakeshore Hazard Message
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
1242 AM CDT Sat Aug 15 2026

WIZ052-060-066-151345-
/O.CON.KMKX.BH.S.0017.260815T1300Z-260816T0000Z/
Sheboygan-Ozaukee-Milwaukee-
1242 AM CDT Sat Aug 15 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM CDT THIS
MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Life threatening waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous 
  currents are expected.

* WHERE...Sheboygan, Ozaukee and Milwaukee Counties.

* WHEN...From 8 AM CDT this morning through this evening.

* 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.

&&

$$

Sheppard
332 
WHUS43 KMKX 151105
CFWMKX

Lakeshore Hazard Message
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
605 AM CDT Sat Aug 15 2026

WIZ052-060-066-151915-
/O.CON.KMKX.BH.S.0017.260815T1300Z-260816T0000Z/
Sheboygan-Ozaukee-Milwaukee-
605 AM CDT Sat Aug 15 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS
EVENING...

* WHAT...Life threatening waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous 
  currents are expected.

* WHERE...Sheboygan, Ozaukee and Milwaukee Counties.

* WHEN...Through this evening.

* 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.

&&

$$
507 
WHUS43 KMKX 151754
CFWMKX

Lakeshore Hazard Message
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
1254 PM CDT Sat Aug 15 2026

WIZ052-060-066-160000-
/O.CON.KMKX.BH.S.0017.000000T0000Z-260816T0000Z/
Sheboygan-Ozaukee-Milwaukee-
1254 PM CDT Sat Aug 15 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS
EVENING...

* WHAT...Life threatening waves of 3 to 5 feet and dangerous 
  currents are expected.

* WHERE...Sheboygan, Ozaukee and Milwaukee Counties.

* WHEN...Through this evening.

* 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.

&&

$$
796 
WHUS43 KMKX 152349
CFWMKX

Coastal Hazard Message
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
649 PM CDT Sat Aug 15 2026

WIZ052-060-066-160100-
/O.EXP.KMKX.BH.S.0017.000000T0000Z-260816T0000Z/
Sheboygan-Ozaukee-Milwaukee-
649 PM CDT Sat Aug 15 2026

...BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

Waves will continue to slowly diminish this evening into tonight 
across Ozaukee and Sheboygan county beaches. 1-3 foot waves are 
expected through the overnight hours. 

$$

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 Aug 14, 10:54 AM CDT, 2 hours 38 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Mainly dry through today. An isolated shower is possible near the Wisconsin-Illinois border.
  • Potential for storms to lift into southern WI tonight into Saturday morning (50-80% chances) delivering a soaking rainfall. Note that there is also a chance (20-50%) for this activity to miss us entirely, tracking elsewhere through the Midwest.
  • Additional shower and storm chances Saturday night into Sunday, but severe storm potential and rain amounts have trended lower.
  • Drier and more comfortable into early next week, with storm chances returning by midweek.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 14, 10:54 AM CDT, 2 hours 38 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
1054 AM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Mainly dry through today. An isolated shower is possible near
  the Wisconsin-Illinois border.

- Potential for storms to lift into southern WI tonight into
  Saturday morning (50-80% chances) delivering a soaking
  rainfall. Note that there is also a chance (20-50%) for this
  activity to miss us entirely, tracking elsewhere through the
  Midwest.

- Additional shower and storm chances Saturday night into
  Sunday, but severe storm potential and rain amounts have
  trended lower.

- Drier and more comfortable into early next week, with storm
  chances returning by midweek.

&&

.UPDATE...
Issued 1055 AM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

Have pulled back on precip probabilities through this afternoon
given ongoing and anticipated trends.

Current water vapor imagery shows an MCV over the Missouri
Valley, with a compensating area of shortwave ridging in place
immediately downstream/over southern Wisconsin. Surface
observations reveal a bifurcated frontal pattern regionally,
with a warm front draped over central Iowa, and an
effective/convectively-modified boundary extending from the
Missouri-Iowa border southeast to the Ohio River. Placement of
boundaries is leading to a "zoned" warm sector, with modest
instability values in place along/south of the warm front & more
extreme values restricted to the south of the southern
boundary. Driven in large part by 850-700 mb warm advection
north of the warm front, a prior band of showers is decaying
over northeast Iowa & northern Illinois as it encounters the
shortwave ridging/subsidence in place over southern Wisconsin.

With the initial/leading band of showers falling apart, and the
MCV-related forcing & warm sector not pulling into the area
until this evening, have thus reduced precip probabilities
through 7 PM, with a now entirely dry forecast prevailing
through the afternoon across the majority of southern Wisconsin.
Have maintained some ~15-30% values near the WI-IL border, where
a light shower can't be entirely ruled out as better forcing
begins to approach. Expect better rain chances post-sunset. Will
be discussing this potential in greater detail in the early
afternoon update.

Quigley

&&

.SHORT TERM...
Issued 1250 AM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

Today through Saturday:

The existing line of thunderstorms spanning from east IA to
central IL should slowly sag southward through the predawn
hours this morning, leaving us with dry weather. A decaying
complex of storms originating from IA may clip far southwestern
WI post-dawn this morning based on 00z CAM guidance (20-50%
chance, mainly for Lafayette and Green county only), though
instability would be extremely limited if it even makes it here
(likely not enough for thunder, but included slight chances to
play it safe). Additional shower and storm activity near and
south / southwest of the state border will continue through the
daytime hours today, with slight chances for a stray cell to
drift and decay into our region.

Higher and more widespread chances for showers and thunderstorms
arrive tonight into Saturday morning as weak low pressure lifts
northeast from KS, but there is plenty of uncertainty on how
this will play out. I really mean it when I say "uncertainty"
this time... check out the 14.00z HRRR: two nocturnal convective
complexes initiate, one crashes through northern IL, the other
through far northwest WI, and southern WI gets dry weather. Then
for another scenario, check out the 13.21z RAP, 14.00z NAM and
NAM NEST, the southern convective complex crashes into southern
WI and delivers widespread rainfall lasting through early
Saturday afternoon. In either scenario, instability is very
limited (HREF mean MUCAPE below 500 joules). Not expecting any
strong to severe storms, just efficient rainfall if applicable.

Sheppard

&&

.LONG TERM...
Issued 1250 AM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

Saturday night through Thursday:

Weak low pressure continues east from the Great Lakes region on
Sunday, likely deepening slightly and dragging a cold front across
WI. The exact arrival time for the front is not yet certain, but
the initial NW wind shift is currently favored for the early morning
(predawn) hours, followed by the arrival of lower dewpoints
(low 60s or potentially even 50s) on these same winds and / or a
secondary backdoor cold front (with NE winds) Sunday afternoon.
In the 500mb pattern, we do have a 500mb shortwave trough that
could phase well with the warm sector over IN / IL Sunday
afternoon, but that doesn't leave us much to work with in
southern WI. A round of showers or weak thunderstorms along the
initial frontal passage Saturday night into Sunday morning would
also (potentially) leave some cloud cover to interfere with
peak heating, limiting the instability when the afternoon
secondary baroclinic zone / backdoor cold front arrives. All
this to say Sunday's storm setup leaves a lot in question, but
the odds of any strong to severe storms are relatively low for
now. Overall rain chances 50-65%, peaking early Sunday morning
and tapering into the afternoon.

Predominantly dry weather expected Sunday night into Tuesday
morning as high pressure passes overhead, with temperatures near
seasonal norms. Shower and thunderstorm chances return late
Tuesday through midweek as a surface trough of low pressure sweeps
east across the midwest.

Sheppard

&&

.AVIATION...
Issued 655 AM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

Fog and lower ceilings this morning may linger for another hour
or so, but will lift as temps warm and easterly winds increase
through the morning. While cannot rule out a stray shower in
southwestern or south-central WI today, expecting mostly dry
conditions and breezy easterly through the afternoon. Then this
evening looking at shower chances increase from southwest to
northeast later this evening into Saturday morning with moderate
to heavy rainfall and better thunderstorm potential along with
lower flight conditions for areas closer to the WI/IL border.

Wagner

&&

.MARINE...
Issued 1250 AM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

Synopsis:
Multiple rounds of storms are expected to cross the southern
portion of Lake Michigan into this weekend due to a front that
remains in place south of the lake. Low pressure of 29.7 inches
over Kansas will track to the northeast and east toward southern
Lake Michigan into tonight and Saturday. This low should help
to bump up winds and waves across the southern two thirds of
Lake Michigan into Saturday. Beyond this system, a broad ridge
of high pressure of 30.1 inches will push into the Great Lakes
early next week before another potential front moves through the
region midweek.

Nearshore Zones:
Breezy southeast winds and building waves are expected late
tonight into Saturday, with Small Craft Advisory conditions
possible.

Sheppard

&&

.MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...None.
LM...None.
&&

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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 14, 6:31 AM CDT, 7 hours 1 minute before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
631 AM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-151145-
Marquette-Green Lake-Fond du Lac-Sheboygan-Sauk-Columbia-Dodge-
Washington-Ozaukee-Iowa-Dane-Jefferson-Waukesha-Milwaukee-
Lafayette-Green-Rock-Walworth-Racine-Kenosha-
631 AM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of east central
Wisconsin, south central Wisconsin and southeast Wisconsin.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Chances for shower and storms near the WI/IL border through the
day, but increasing tonight for southwest WI.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday

Periodic thunderstorm chances continue for the weekend and cannot
rule out stronger storms into Saturday.

Elevated swim risk for Lake Michigan beaches this weekend.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed.

LMZ643>646-151145-
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-
631 AM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the nearshore waters from
Sheboygan Wisconsin to Winthrop Harbor Illinois.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Chances for shower and storms near the WI/IL border tonight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday

Additional rounds of thunderstorms possible through the weekend
and cannot rule out stronger storms at times.

Small Craft Advisory conditions possible Saturday.

LMZ080-261-362-364-366-563-565-567-669-671-673-675-777-779-868-
870-872-874-876-878-151145-
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-
631 AM CDT Fri Aug 14 2026

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the open waters of Lake Michigan.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Chances for showers and thunderstorms over the southern third of
the lake later today/tonight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday

Additional rounds of thunderstorms possible through the weekend
and cannot rule out stronger storms at times, especially for
southern portions of the Lake.

www.weather.gov/mkx

The office that day

Everything else NWS Milwaukee, WI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 14, 1:34 PM CDTSmall Craft AdvisoryMKX29 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.