Easton's Beach

Good morning, Newport! 👋 Today is Sunday, Aug. 17, the 229th day of 2025. There are 136 days left in the year.

🚨 You need to know

NEWPORT — Easton’s Beach remains closed to swimmers for a third day Sunday due to elevated bacteria levels, while two other Newport beaches have been cleared for swimming after a brief closure.

The Rhode Island Department of Health announced Saturday that Spouting Rock Beach Association and Gooseberry Beach have been reopened to swimmers. Both beaches were closed Thursday after testing revealed elevated bacteria counts.

Easton’s Beach, however, remains off-limits to swimmers. The popular First Beach was closed Friday due to high bacteria counts and has not yet been cleared by state health officials.

The quick reopening of Spouting Rock and Gooseberry beaches shows how rapidly water quality can change during summer months. Both locations were closed for just two days before bacteria levels dropped back to safe ranges.

Newport’s beach troubles reflect broader water quality issues across Rhode Island this summer, with more than 20 locations statewide experiencing closures since late June due to bacterial contamination.

The state health department will continue monitoring water quality at all Newport beaches through Labor Day weekend, with status subject to change as new test results become available. Bacteria levels are measured in colony forming units per 100 milliliters, with closures triggered when saltwater samples exceed 60 cfu/100ml.

Beachgoers can check the latest conditions by calling RIDOH’s beaches information line at 401-222-2751 or visiting health.ri.gov/beaches for current beach closure data.

📰 The Latest from What’sUpNewp

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📈 Yesterday’s most-read

The following were yesterday’s most-read What’sUpNewp articles.

  1. Two Newport beaches reopen as Easton’s Beach remains closed
  2. Two arrested for trespassing at The Clarke Cooke House
  3. Two Newport beaches closed due to high bacteria levels
  4. Morning Notes: Newport artists shine in statewide exhibition at WaterFire Arts Center
  5. Tree of Life yacht offers luxury sailing charters from Newport Harbor
  6. Rhode Island PBS to host ‘Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’ screening at Jane Pickens Theatre
  7. Veronica Bruno: Newport gallery report—the breadth of shows at Redwood Library and Athenaeum
  8. Things to do in Newport County this weekend: Aug. 15 – 17
  9. Little Compton celebrates 350th anniversary with parade, music Saturday
  10. Historic horse-drawn coaches return to Newport streets next weekend

📅 What’s Up Today

Weather Forecast

  • Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 81. Southwest wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.
  • Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 2am, then a chance of showers. Patchy fog between midnight and 3am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Southwest wind 7 to 13 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
  • Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 72. Northeast wind 15 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

Marine Forecast

  • Small Craft Advisory in effect from August 17, 12:00 PM EDT until August 17, 07:00 PM EDT
  • Today: SSW wind 7 to 10 kt increasing to 10 to 13 kt in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 kt. Partly sunny. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tonight:SW wind 6 to 11 kt becoming NNE after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 kt. Showers and thunderstorms likely before 2am, then a chance of showers. Patchy fog between midnight and 3am. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tomorrow: NE wind 13 to 15 kt, with gusts as high as 25 kt. A slight chance of showers before 7am. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • The coastal water temperature is 68 degrees.

Sun, Moon & Tide

  • Sunrise at 5:56 am. Sunset at 7:41 pm. 13 hours & 45 minutes of sun.
  • High tide at 2:44 am & 3:19 pm. Low tide at 7:55 am & 10:36 pm.
  • The lunar phase is a Waning Crescent.

Things To Do

Live Music & Entertainment

Newport County Public Meetings

  • No public meetings are scheduled.

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Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...