With the extreme heat, many people will be flocking to the beach this week, and coastal waters along Southern New England are prime for swimming, bouncing between the upper 60s and low 70s along the shore. Naturally, we’re also in prime vacation season, and our weather pattern has set up some tricky surf.
Rip current alerts have been issued, warning of a high risk at beaches along Rhode Island, Southeastern Mass., Cape Cod, and the islands through Wednesday evening.
The greatest risk is along south-facing beaches — South Coast, southern Cape, Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. The high risk level means that life-threatening rip currents are likely and that surf conditions are unsafe for all levels of swimmers.
Rip currents along the New England coast are usually prompted by onshore winds. And with high pressure to our southwest and a potent low passing through Eastern Canada, the difference in atmospheric patterns will cause windy conditions and create drag across the sea surface.
Many beaches will probably set up warning flags to alert beachgoers, so pay attention to the status on the beach you’re venturing to if you have beach plans over the next couple of days.
Here’s a quick guide on what to do if you find yourself in a rip current:
- Don’t fight the current.
- Try to swim out of the current, then swim parallel to the coast, and then turn towards shore. Rip currents do not pull people under the water; they pull people away from shore.
- If you can’t escape, focus on floating and treading water.
- And of course, if you need help, yell or wave for assistance.
The waters and surf should settle down a bit for Thursday and Friday, and certainly for the weekend.
Ken Mahan can be reached at ken.mahan@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman.