Rip Current Warning Covers Lake Erie Shoreline Through Monday
Dangerous rip currents are expected along Lake Erie from Sunday night through Monday evening, with NWS Cleveland warning swimmers to stay out of the water across six Ohio counties and one Pennsylvania county.
CLEVELAND, OHIO — The National Weather Service office in Cleveland has issued Beach Hazards Statements for multiple counties along the Lake Erie shoreline, warning of a high risk of rip currents from Sunday night through Monday evening, June 22, 2026.
Swimmers are urged to stay out of the water entirely as wind and wave action is expected to generate dangerous currents along the lakeshore. According to the NWS Cleveland, those currents can pull swimmers away from shore, through sandbars, and along structures extending into the lake.
Which Counties Are Affected
The hazard alerts span a wide stretch of Ohio’s Lake Erie coast, as well as a portion of northwestern Pennsylvania. The following areas are under Beach Hazards Statements issued at 3:56 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 21:
- Lucas and Ottawa Counties — High rip current risk from late Sunday night through Monday afternoon (4:00 p.m. EDT, June 22)
- Erie, Lorain, and Cuyahoga Counties — High rip current risk from late Sunday night through Monday evening (10:00 p.m. EDT, June 22)
- Lake County — High rip current risk from Monday morning through Monday evening (10:00 p.m. EDT, June 22)
- Ashtabula Lakeshore County, Ohio, and Northern Erie County, Pennsylvania — High rip current risk from Monday morning through Monday evening (10:00 p.m. EDT, June 22)
What Beachgoers Should Know
The NWS warns that rip currents are among the most dangerous hazards on open water beaches. Wind-driven waves create powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that can sweep even strong swimmers away from shore before they realize what is happening.
According to the Beach Hazards Statements, swimmers should not enter the water during the period covered by the alerts. The currents pose particular danger near sandbars and structures such as piers and jetties that extend into the lake.
Timing Varies by Location
While most of the affected counties face hazardous conditions through Monday evening, Lucas and Ottawa Counties — which include the Toledo metropolitan area’s Lake Erie shoreline — see the alert expiring earlier, at 4:00 p.m. Monday. Conditions for Lake County and Ashtabula Lakeshore County, as well as Northern Erie County in Pennsylvania, are not expected to become hazardous until Monday morning, though the risk continues through Monday evening in those areas.
All four Beach Hazards Statements were issued by the National Weather Service Cleveland office and remain in effect through various times on Monday, June 22, 2026. Residents and visitors planning to spend time at Lake Erie beaches are advised to monitor updated forecasts at weather.gov.
