Surf Forecasts:
48th Street surf forecast from 26 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 7s period, S swell with 206 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 8s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for 48th Street this week:
The surf forecast for 48th Street over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at 48th Street in the next 16 days are 1.5m 7s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 31) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 5ft (1.5m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for 48th Street over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Well, folks, it's a pretty grim stretch ahead for 48th Street (Virginia Beach). I’ve scoured the charts and there's just nothing to get excited about. The whole 16-day window is a flat spell, plain and simple. We’ve got a solid run of days with nothing but tiny, weak waves that won't even hold you up. The combined swell energy is weak, often sitting below 100 (63, 61, 41, 36, 40, 44, 92, 99, 96, 74, 41, 35, 36, 81, 111, 73, 62, 55, 49, 57, 73, 60, 78, 54, 53, 55, 69, 53, 22, 32 – these are all small numbers, folks). The swell is tiny, mostly under 3 ft, and the period is short, barely cracking 8 seconds most days. It’s a lot of crummy, weak windswell.
The winds are a mess too. For the first week or so, it’s a constant battle of cross-shore, cross-on, and onshore breezes, with only a couple of clean moments that still don't have enough wave to ride. Even the glassy morning on August 1st only has a pathetic 1 ft of swell. The water temp is sitting at about 75°, which is normal for this time of year, but it’s not like you’ll be in the water anyway.
The only time the swell even nudges up is on Wednesday, July 29th, with a 4 ft SSE swell in the morning (combined energy 179 – moderate), and the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the NNW. That’s the best it gets, but it’s still a poor quality, short-period swell. The afternoon drops to 3 ft. For a beach break like this, that short period will make it fat and crumbly, not the good stuff. If you’re a beginner, 4 ft is rideable, but the quality is just not there.
Honestly, this is a blank run. For a spot like 48th Street, it’s not unusual to have these flat spells. The setup looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle board on most of these days with the cross-shore winds, but for surfing? There’s nothing to recommend. The forecasts can always change, but right now, don’t even bother waxing up.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 25°C on Tue morning, min 20°C on Sun morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 28°C on Wed afternoon, min 21°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | S 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | NE 6 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 42 | 41 | 39 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 160 | 172 | 114 | 49 | 90 | 94 | 52 | 49 | 50 | 47 | 18 | 18 | 40 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross | cross | cross | on | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross |
High Tide | 6:29PM1.25m | 6:57AM1.00m | 7:13PM1.29m | 7:40AM1.04m | 7:53PM1.32m | 8:20AM1.08m | 8:30PM1.33m | 8:57AM1.10m | 9:05PM1.32m | 9:33AM1.13m | 9:40PM1.30m | 10:10AM1.15m | 10:16PM1.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:04PM0.20m | 00:55AM0.13m | 12:50PM0.17m | 1:39AM0.09m | 1:36PM0.15m | 2:21AM0.05m | 2:20PM0.13m | 3:00AM0.02m | 3:01PM0.12m | 3:36AM-0.00m | 3:41PM0.12m | 4:11AM-0.01m | 4:20PM0.12m | 4:43AM-0.00m | |||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  | | | | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — |
 | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:12 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:09 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 5 | 7 | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 28 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 24 |
Feels °C | 19 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 24 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ENE 6 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | NNE 6 | NE 6 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | NE 6 |
| kJ | 42 | 20 | 39 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 4 | 172 | 114 | 49 | 90 | 94 | 49 | 49 | 50 | 47 | 18 | 18 | 9 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 8 | E 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | SE 4 | ENE 6 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | — | 41 | 18 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 52 | 47 | 24 | 19 | 15 | 9 | 7 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | S 6 | ENE 6 | — | — | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 8 | SW 4 | — | — | — | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | S 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 7 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 8 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | — | — | SSE 2 | SSE 3 | SE 4 | — | SSE 5 | S 6 | — | W 3 | W 3 | WNW 3 | NW 4 | NW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 7 |
| kJ | 21 | — | — | 1 | 2 | 6 | — | 14 | 160 | — | 2 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 40 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 238 | 358 | 0 | 312 | 1067 | 87 | 312 | 165 | 193 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 60 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 21 | 449 | 182 |
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.
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