Surf Forecasts:
Folly Beach surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 5s period, SW swell with 64 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Folly Beach this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Folly Beach in the next 16 days are 1.1m 5s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Folly Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again, same story, different numbers. We’re looking at Folly Beach for the next 16 days, and it’s a real bummer. The whole window is a quiet one, with nothing that gets the blood pumping. It’s a long, dry spell of tiny, weak surf. The first real chance to even paddle out comes on Saturday, August 22nd, but even then, it’s not much.
The overall pattern is tiny windswell, mostly from the south and southeast, with periods so short they barely count. The combined energy is weak, rarely cracking 50, and often stuck in the teens or twenties. For a beach break like Folly, that’s just not enough. The water is a warm 87° on that first Saturday, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year.
Let’s walk through it. Saturday the 22nd has a tiny 2ft swell from the SSW, but it’s a dud with a 4-second period and a cross-onshore wind at 15 mph. Choppy and messy. Sunday morning the 23rd cleans up a bit with a cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is still only 3ft and 5 seconds. It’s not surfable, really. The week that follows is just more of the same: tiny heights, poor wind, and zero energy. On Monday the 24th, we get a 1ft swell with a 12-second period, which sounds long period, but there’s no size to push it. If you’re desperate, maybe a longboard, but the combined energy is only 47, so it’s weak.
The rest of the run through the end of August and into September is a total washout. Mornings sometimes look clean, but the swell is too small. Afternoons get chopped up by onshore breezes. There’s a brief moment on Wednesday morning, September 2nd, where we see a 2ft swell from the SE with an 11-second period and a clean cross-offshore wind from the NNE. The combined energy hits 88, which is the highest in the whole forecast, but it’s still only moderate. That’s the best we get, and it’s barely a highlight. After that, it drops back into the weak zone, with strong onshore winds and lumpy conditions through September 6th.
Honestly, for a beginner or a longboarder looking for a flat-water paddle, maybe some of the cleaner mornings could work, but for any real surf, this is a blank run. Folly Beach is fairly consistent usually, but this forecast shows a poor stretch. It won’t stay like this forever.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 32°C on Mon afternoon, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 22mm), heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 30°C on Tue afternoon, min 25°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Wed night, fresh winds from the SW by Thu night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | S 5 | SSW 5 | S 4 | S 5 | SE 12 | S 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | ESE 11 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 15 | 17 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 22 | 25 | 33 | 36 | 24 | 22 | 12 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 36 | 18 | 59 | 33 | 23 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross |
High Tide | 4:34PM1.62m | 4:34AM1.36m | 5:25PM1.66m | 5:28AM1.40m | 6:13PM1.70m | 6:18AM1.45m | 6:57PM1.74m | 7:04AM1.51m | 7:38PM1.77m | 7:46AM1.57m | 8:16PM1.79m | 8:25AM1.63m | 8:51PM1.78m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:49PM0.41m | 10:36AM0.30m | 11:38PM0.37m | 11:27AM0.27m | 00:24AM0.32m | 12:16PM0.23m | 1:07AM0.27m | 1:03PM0.19m | 1:46AM0.21m | 1:48PM0.15m | 2:24AM0.15m | 2:31PM0.13m | 3:00AM0.11m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | |  | | | | |  | |  | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — |
 | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:49 | — |
mm | — | 4 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 1 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | — | — | 8 |
Temp °C | 30 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 27 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 31 | 28 |
Feels °C | 30 | 28 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | S 4 | SE 8 | SE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | S 5 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | S 5 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | S 5 | SE 9 | S 5 |
| kJ | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 8 | SE 12 | SE 8 | SE 12 | — | — | ESE 11 | — | — | ESE 11 | E 7 | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | SE 9 | E 12 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 22 | — | — | 11 | — | — | 11 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 3 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | — | SE 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 11 | — | — | — | E 14 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | S 5 | SSW 5 | S 4 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | — | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 |
| kJ | 15 | 17 | 24 | 26 | 23 | 19 | 25 | 33 | 36 | 24 | 22 | — | 24 | 10 | 12 | 36 | 18 | 59 | 33 | 23 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 584 | 215 | 114 | 419 | 301 | 61 | 215 | 128 | 61 | 295 | 102 | 61 | 296 | 300 | 61 | 764 | 61 | 61 | 803 | 114 |
Best forecast wave conditions in South Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Folly Beach surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Folly Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Folly Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Folly Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Folly Beach surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Folly Beach) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Folly Beach may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Folly Beach is 8 km (5 miles) from the city of Mount Pleasant. If you plan a vacation in South Carolina, look for hotels and other accommodation in Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest