National Weather Service urges beachgoers to check rip current forecasts

Rip currents can form even on calm, sunny days, turning a beach trip into a rescue scene when the surf looks harmless. The National Weather Service color-codes rip current risk levels for specific beaches, and many people are injured or killed each year along U.S. beaches by dangerous waves and currents.

Beachgoers should check local beach forecasts before leaving home and talk with lifeguards before entering the water. They should swim only at beaches with lifeguards. The United States Lifesaving Association puts the odds of a fatal drowning at a beach protected by USLA-affiliated lifeguards at 1 in 18 million, and a scientific review cited by the USLA found more than 100 deaths each year in the United States are attributed to rip currents.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Lifesaving Association have also created a rip current safety toolkit. The Weather Service recommends a simple safety setup when a group of at least four goes to the beach: two people in the ocean, one person on shore watching, and one person ready to take lifesaving actions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 700 people die from extreme heat every year in the United States, and the Weather Service issues heat alerts when extreme heat is occurring, imminent or highly likely. The Weather Service often issues alerts when the heat index is expected to exceed 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit for at least two consecutive days, depending on local climate.

The CDC says heat exhaustion can bring headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, heavy sweating, elevated body temperature and decreased urine output. Drowning is preventable, with constant supervision of children, basic swimming skills, properly fitted life jackets and four-sided fencing around home pools among the key safeguards. The CDC identifies drowning as the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages 5 to 14. The CDC also advises checking water quality and remembering that oceans, lakes and rivers carry additional hazards.

On July 1, 2026, Weather Service pages showed dangerous, record-breaking heat intensifying across much of the central and eastern United States, with heat indices likely exceeding 100 degrees in parts of the country.