Surf Forecasts:
48th Street surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 12s period, ESE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 10s period, ESE swell with 52 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 12s 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 Monday (Aug 24) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at 48th Street in the next 16 days are 0.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for 48th Street over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’.
Well, to be honest, the next couple of weeks are looking flat and pretty darn ordinary for 48th Street. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak waves and mostly onshore junk. The water temp is sitting at 79°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick suit.
Saturday 22 August kicks off with a risk of thunderstorms and a cross-on wind. Swell is a weak 3 ft from the southeast, but with a short period of 4 seconds and an energy reading of just 48, it’s not worth getting wet for.
Sunday 23 August morning cleans right up with an offshore wind from the WSW, but the swell drops to 2 ft from the south, period still a short 5 seconds. The energy is weak at 43. It’s clean, but there’s nothing to ride. The afternoon turns glassy, but swell drops to 0.7 ft from the ESE with a weirdly long 12-second period – energy is only 29. It’s a dud.
Monday 24 August morning brings glassy conditions with a head-high but tiny 1.0 ft ESE swell and a 12-second period. Energy hits 51. It’s surfable but really weak and ordinary. The afternoon gets a light cross-on and stays tiny.
From Tuesday 25 August through Thursday 27 August, we’re looking at small 1.0 ft to 2 ft swell, short periods, and constant cross-on winds. The energy is in the 30s and 40s. Thursday afternoon gets a glassy moment with 2 ft ESE swell and energy at 70, but again, these are surfable waves in a very ordinary state.
Friday 28 August starts glassy but with only 1 ft from the ESE, energy 46. Not worth paddling out for.
Saturday 29 August and Sunday 30 August are more of the same – small, weak, and cross-on. Energy in the 20s and 30s. The setup looks poor for surfing, but honestly, with these conditions, it’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
Monday 31 August morning is glassy again with a pathetic 1 ft SE swell and an energy reading of just 19. Not much going on.
Tuesday 1 September shows a bit of hope, with a clean 0.7 ft ESE swell, but get this – the period is 15 seconds! That is a very long period for such a tiny wave. Energy is only 38. The afternoon sees a strong 25 mph offshore wind from the WNW, making it clean but extremely hard to paddle into.
Wednesday 2 September is probably the best on offer. Morning brings a 2 ft SE swell with a 12-second period and a clean cross-off wind from the NNW. Energy jumps to 155 (moderate wave energy). It's still small, but it’s the most interesting day of the whole period. The afternoon gets a moderate cross-shore chop.
From Thursday 3 September through Sunday 6 September, it’s back to tiny, weak, onshore slop. Swell stays around 2 ft to 2 ft, periods short (7-10 seconds), and energy in the 55 to 84 range. Nothing to get excited about.
The standout day is Wednesday 2 September morning. That’s your best bet – small but clean, with moderate energy.
So yeah, it’s a flat spell for 48th Street with only one day that looks halfway decent. This kind of blank run is pretty normal for the area, but forecasts can always change.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 20°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 25°C on Tue afternoon, min 22°C on Thu afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
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) | SE 4 | SSE 4 | S 5 | S 5 | S 6 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | SSE 7 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
18 | 18 | 24 | 14 | 17 | 27 | 34 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 32 | 26 | 18 | 52 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 36 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | glassy | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 4:11PM1.14m | 4:42AM0.92m | 5:07PM1.17m | 5:39AM0.96m | 6:00PM1.22m | 6:29AM1.03m | 6:45PM1.27m | 7:12AM1.09m | 7:25PM1.31m | 7:50AM1.16m | 8:02PM1.34m | 8:26AM1.21m | 8:38PM1.34m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:51PM0.26m | 10:48AM0.27m | 11:39PM0.20m | 11:38AM0.23m | 00:24AM0.15m | 12:25PM0.18m | 1:07AM0.09m | 1:11PM0.14m | 1:47AM0.04m | 1:55PM0.10m | 2:26AM-0.00m | 2:38PM0.07m | 3:03AM-0.03m | |||||||
— | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | |
7:45 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | |
mm | 2 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
Feels °C | 23 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 5 | S 5 | S 6 | SSE 6 | SE 12 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 10 | ESE 5 | SE 5 | ESE 8 | SSE 7 |
10 | 8 | 24 | 11 | 17 | 20 | 34 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 32 | 26 | 11 | 52 | 19 | 14 | 28 | 36 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 13 | E 8 | E 8 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 7 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSE 6 | S 5 | ESE 10 | S 6 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 5 | ESE 8 |
17 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 27 | 4 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 3 | 32 | 29 | 4 | 27 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | ESE 13 | ESE 12 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 13 | E 12 | E 12 | S 5 | — | E 11 | E 4 |
3 | 17 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 4 | SSE 4 | — | S 5 | — | — | S 6 | — | N 3 | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | — | S 3 | SSE 4 | — |
18 | 18 | — | 24 | — | — | 18 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 9 | 12 | — | 3 | 6 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 196 | 24 | 21 | 1 | 94 | 0 | 94 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 291 | 333 | 583 | 222 | 196 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 35 | 0 |
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.











