
Surf Forecasts:
48th Street surf forecast from 9 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 11 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 6s period, S swell with 50 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for 48th Street this week:
The most powerful waves expected at 48th Street in the next 16 days are 0.9m 6s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 09) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for 48th Street over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's cooking for 48th Street over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, it's a pretty grim picture. We're looking at a solid run of tiny, weak surf for the first week and a half. The water temp is sitting at 78°F – that's a touch warmer than you'd expect for this time of year.
From Sunday the 9th right through to Saturday the 16th, it's a real struggle. The swell is barely a whisper, mostly under 3ft, and the energy is pitiful, with the combined energy reading under 100 (the highest in that stretch is only 49). It's a lot of small, short-period S and SSE swell, and the wind is often swinging around, making it tricky to find anything clean. A few glassy moments pop up, like Wednesday the 12th afternoon, but there's just no wave to ride. Expect a long, frustrating gap.
Now, things get a little more interesting on Monday the 17th. The swell picks up to 5ft from the S, and the energy jumps to 161, hitting 261 by the afternoon. The wind goes offshore with a WNW breeze, and the forecast says "expect good surf conditions". It's a short-lived window, but that Monday afternoon is your best bet for anything decent. The swell period is a short 6 seconds though, so it's not going to be the most powerful, shapey wave, but it'll be bigger than anything else we've seen.
The real standout, though, is Thursday the 20th. The morning is looking clean with a light W offshore wind, and the swell is 4ft from the SE with a period of 11 seconds. The combined energy is a solid 483 – that's a proper groundswell. This is the one to circle on the calendar. It's a long period swell, so expect better shaped waves with more push, but it might break a bit straight at the beach. The offshore wind will keep it glassy. The afternoon drops off a bit in size, but still clean with a gentle offshore breeze and energy of 202.
After that, the surf fades out again through the end of the period, with a few days of messy, onshore winds and poor quality.
So, the honest truth? For 48th Street, it's a lean two weeks. The standout is Thursday the 20th – that morning session is the one to chase. The Monday the 17th afternoon is a maybe, but it's a junior swell. The rest of the time, you're better off waxing your car or checking the tide pools.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 31°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Warm (max 30°C on Thu afternoon, min 17°C on Fri afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | S 5 | S 5 | SE 7 | SSE 6 | S 6 | S 5 | S 6 | S 5 | S 6 | SSE 6 | S 6 | ESE 8 | S 4 | S 4 | SSE 5 | SE 9 | NE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | 12 | 7 | 36 | 33 | 40 | 23 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 25 | 17 | 17 | 27 | 16 | 8 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:23PM1.38m | 6:04AM1.12m | 6:26PM1.44m | 7:03AM1.21m | 7:21PM1.48m | 7:56AM1.28m | 8:11PM1.50m | 8:45AM1.34m | 8:59PM1.48m | 9:34AM1.36m | 9:47PM1.41m | 10:22AM1.35m | 10:34PM1.33m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:04AM0.08m | 00:09AM0.02m | 12:06PM0.02m | 1:04AM-0.05m | 1:04PM-0.03m | 1:56AM-0.11m | 2:00PM-0.06m | 2:45AM-0.15m | 2:52PM-0.08m | 3:31AM-0.16m | 3:42PM-0.06m | 4:13AM-0.13m | 4:29PM-0.02m | 4:53AM-0.07m | |||||||
6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | |
— | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 26 | 30 | 29 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 30 | 27 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 23 |
Feels °C | 32 | 33 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 25 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 24 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 6 | SE 10 | SE 10 | S 6 | S 5 | S 6 | SSE 6 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | S 4 | S 4 | S 3 | SE 9 | NE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | NNE 4 | SSE 6 |
21 | 7 | 7 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 27 | 8 | 8 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | E 9 | E 8 | E 10 | E 9 | E 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | — | E 11 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 5 | E 13 | SSE 5 | ENE 4 | E 12 | SSE 7 | NE 5 |
13 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 4 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 11 | E 11 | E 8 | — | — | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 8 | — | ESE 9 | E 7 | E 12 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | 8 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 5 | S 4 | — | S 6 | S 5 | NW 3 | WNW 3 | — | — | S 6 | S 3 | — | — | — | NE 4 | NNW 3 | NNW 3 | NNE 4 | — | NNW 3 |
— | 12 | 7 | — | 33 | 40 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | 25 | 2 | 1 | 13 | — | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 160 | 182 | 160 | 1070 | 205 | 21 | 348 | 274 | 348 | 609 | 2341 | 437 | 675 | 998 | 864 | 21 | 358 | 437 | 381 | 160 | 333 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Maryland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the 48th Street Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for 48th Street provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at 48th Street can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our 48th Street 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 (48th Street) 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 48th Street 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.
48th Street is 7 km (4 miles) from Ocean City. If you plan a vacation in Maryland, look for hotels and other accommodation in Ocean City. Ocean City has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











