Fortress Surf Break

Lat Long: 41.02° N 71.96° W

Fortress Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 23 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Fortress sea temperature is
22.0°C
0.5° 

Fortress surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Fortress surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period, SE swell with 115 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 7s period with SE swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Fortress this week:

The surf forecast for Fortress over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Fortress in the next 16 days are 0.9m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Monday (Aug 24) at 2AM.

Wave TypeTime (EDT) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Mon 24th Aug)2.5ft (0.7m) 7s
Best Surf 5AM (Mon 24th Aug)2.5ft (0.7m) 7s
Most Powerful 5AM (Fri 28th Aug)3ft (0.9m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Fortress over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Hey, it’s Rusty. Been staring at the charts for this spot, and it’s a tale of two halves. We’ve got a whole lot of nothing for a long stretch, then one little window that looks proper.

Basically, the first week and a half is flat. Tiny swells, weak energy (under 100 on the combined scale), and the wave comment keeps saying "poor surf conditions." Even when the wind is clean, the waves are just too small to ride.

The one and only time it all comes together is on Friday, September 4th. We get a solid southeast swell running about 3ft with a 12-second period – that's some proper groundswell energy. The combined energy jumps to 292 in the morning and stays at 213 for the afternoon. But the headline is the wind: in the morning it's a light cross-offshore from the north, keeping it clean. And by the afternoon, it goes dead calm. Glassy. That’s as good as it gets. For a reef break that’s wide open to the swell and likes it from the southeast, this is the session. The only catch? It's a reef, and it's often crowded, so expect company.

The days before that, starting September 1st, the energy does build to the hundreds, but the wind turns nasty – onshore, choppy, even some gale-force gusts with heavy rain. That setup is more for the kite surfers than us paddle guys.

So there’s a big, long gap of flat surf right up until that Friday. The true standout is that afternoon glass-off on September 4th. Chest-high sets, clean as a whistle, for Fortress. It's a long way off, so don't hold me to it, but it's the best we've got to talk about.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 26°C on Sun night, min 19°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Warm (max 25°C on Fri morning, min 18°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Wed afternoon, light winds from the NW by Fri night).

Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
Wednesday
26
Thursday
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.2
ESE
12
0.2
ESE
12
1
S
6
0.8
SSE
6
0.9
S
6
0.4
SE
11
0.3
SE
11
0.3
SE
10
0.3
SE
10
0.4
SE
9
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.6
ESE
9
1
SE
6
0.8
SE
8
0.7
SE
8
0.6
ESE
8
0.4
SE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.5
SE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
15
14
60
51
62
34
18
17
17
29
47
43
40
54
74
80
67
43
22
30
34
Wind (km/h)
15
S
20
SSW
20
SW
20
WSW
20
SSW
15
WNW
25
W
25
WSW
20
NW
20
WNW
30
SW
20
SSW
20
S
25
SSE
15
SSW
15
WSW
20
SSW
5
NW
10
NW
15
SSW
20
NNE
Wind State
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
off
off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross
High Tide
5:52PM0.77m
6:10AM0.62m
6:36PM0.80m
6:56AM0.68m
7:13PM0.84m
7:34AM0.74m
7:45PM0.87m
8:07AM0.80m
8:14PM0.88m
8:37AM0.85m
8:44PM0.89m
9:07AM0.89m
9:17PM0.88m
Low Tide
10:13AM0.26m
11:56PM0.22m
11:19AM0.23m
00:32AM0.16m
12:09PM0.19m
1:04AM0.11m
12:53PM0.14m
1:34AM0.06m
1:34PM0.10m
2:05AM0.02m
2:14PM0.06m
2:37AM-0.01m
2:55PM0.05m
3:11AM-0.02m
thunderstorm
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:05
6:05
6:07
6:07
6:09
6:09
6:09
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:35
7:32
7:31
7:30
7:29
7:27
7:24
 mm
5
1
5
Temp °C
23
24
26
23
23
24
21
23
22
20
23
24
24
24
24
25
23
24
24
26
25
Feels °C
23
24
24
20
20
21
17
20
19
17
21
22
23
23
25
26
23
23
24
25
25
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the Fortress Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Fortress provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Fortress can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Fortress 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 (Fortress) 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 Fortress 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.

Fortress is 39 km (24 miles) from New London. If you plan a vacation in Long Island New York, look for hotels and other accommodation in New London. New London has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

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