CLEVELAND — The National Weather Service is warning Northeast Ohioans to stay out of the waters of Lake Erie this weekend.
The NWS issued a Beach Hazards Statement due to a high risk of rip currents. The statement is in effect in Erie and Lorain counties until late Saturday and in Cuyahoga, Lake and Ashtabula counties until Sunday evening.
The NWS said swimmers should not enter the water because wind and waves will cause dangerous currents on the shores of Lake Erie.
"Currents can carry swimmers away from shore through a sand bar and along structures extending out into the lake," the NWS said. "Remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions."
In addition to the weather service's warning, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District warned that the predicted water quality for two local beaches, Edgewater Beach and Villa Angela Beach, are both poor due to bacteria. Both beaches are above the threshold for E. coli concentration.
