Surf Forecasts:
Lincoln City surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 26 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, SW swell with 302 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Lincoln City this week:
The surf forecast for Lincoln City over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Lincoln City in the next 16 days are 0.8m 16s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 26th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lincoln City over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at the surf outlook for Lincoln City. It's a bit of a slow burner this time, so don't get too amped just yet.
The next week or so is looking pretty flat and messy. We've got a long stretch from now right through the end of August where the swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 3ft, and it's coming from the SW with a long 14 to 16 second period. That's a groundswell, but there's just no size to get excited about. The wind is mostly a light cross-onshore, which isn't helping to clean things up. The combined wave energy is struggling, sitting in the low to mid 200s, which is pretty weak. Honestly, this stretch is a right-off, with the Thursday the 27th looking particularly poor. The water temp is a freezing 48°, which is a massive 12° colder than average for this time of year—that's seriously unusual.
We start seeing something change around Tuesday the 1st of September. The swell direction swings to the NW, and the height bumps up to 4ft, but the period drops right off to a short 9 seconds, meaning weak, lumpy waves. It's still marginal.
The real story starts to build from Wednesday the 2nd of September. That NW swell starts to fill in properly. By Thursday the 3rd of September, we're looking at a 6ft to 7ft swell from the WNW with a decent 10 to 11 second period, pushing the combined energy into a solid moderate range—first 992 then up to 1386. The wind is still cross-shore, which will leave it a bit bumpy, but this is where things get interesting for competent surfers. It's still a bit of a miss for totally clean conditions.
The standout window has to be Monday the 7th of September. We get a 7ft NW swell, and the wind goes completely glassy—0 km/h from the SSW in the morning. The combined energy is a solid 765, and the period is a clean 9 seconds. That's the best combination of size, power, and clean conditions we'll see. For anyone who can handle a beach break and a bit of a crowd (it can get busy here), that Monday morning is the one to circle on the calendar.
This beach-and-reef setup at Lincoln City will handle the NW swell, but keep in mind that with a period under 11 seconds, it won't be that drawn-out, perfect point break wave. It'll be more of a punchy, fun beachie. Given the size is right at the 7ft mark, it's not for beginners. After that stint of glassy conditions, the following days drop back into the 5ft to 6ft range with the wind turning a bit onshore again.
So, my call is clear: the first week is a write-off. The end of the first week in September has size but messy winds. The true standout is Monday the 7th of September morning for that clean, glassy, moderate-sized NW swell. Don't hold your breath for the rest of it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | W 10 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | NW 10 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
132 | 127 | 124 | 124 | 157 | 109 | 104 | 183 | 130 | 149 | 167 | 95 | 109 | 108 | 157 | 302 | 239 | 169 | 169 | 184 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:22PM1.92m | 12:55PM1.62m | 00:02AM1.95m | 1:19PM1.70m | 00:42AM1.95m | 1:44PM1.79m | 1:22AM1.92m | 2:10PM1.87m | 2:05AM1.86m | 2:36PM1.95m | 2:50AM1.76m | 3:05PM2.01m | 3:42AM1.64m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:56PM0.69m | 6:46AM-0.05m | 6:36PM0.59m | 7:16AM-0.06m | 7:14PM0.49m | 7:45AM-0.04m | 7:53PM0.39m | 8:13AM0.02m | 8:32PM0.29m | 8:43AM0.12m | 9:14PM0.21m | 9:14AM0.25m | 9:59PM0.14m | |||||||
— | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | |
8:06 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:54 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 17 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 15 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 6 | WNW 8 | W 13 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | WSW 7 | W 10 | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | WNW 6 | WNW 6 | SW 14 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | NW 7 | SW 14 | NW 10 |
23 | 44 | 89 | 27 | 51 | 76 | 68 | 183 | 91 | 68 | 62 | 43 | 74 | 108 | 157 | 302 | 239 | 43 | 169 | 184 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SW 16 | W 7 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | W 11 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 15 | SW 12 | W 11 | NW 7 | SW 14 | WNW 7 | SW 14 |
132 | 127 | 27 | 124 | 157 | 109 | 63 | 132 | 130 | 149 | 167 | 95 | 109 | 76 | 54 | 21 | 24 | 169 | 29 | 167 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 14 | SW 16 | WSW 13 | W 12 | NW 8 | SW 15 | SW 18 | W 10 | W 10 | SW 13 | SW 13 | W 10 | SW 12 | W 11 | WNW 9 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | SW 19 |
21 | 107 | 124 | 54 | 73 | 32 | 104 | 82 | 33 | 29 | 87 | 61 | 31 | 55 | 21 | 8 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 14 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 2 | — | — | NW 6 | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 | — | — | S 3 |
15 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 54 | 47 | 64 | 68 | 50 | — | — | 2 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 293 | 1 | 181 | 219 | 1 | 219 | 293 | 1 | 263 | 904 | 1 | 387 | 484 | 1 | 148 | 903 | 22 | 148 | 219 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Oregon | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Lincoln City Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Lincoln City provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Lincoln City can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Lincoln City 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 (Lincoln City) 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 Lincoln City 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.
Lincoln City is 72 km (45 miles) from the city of McMinnville. If you plan a vacation in North Oregon, look for hotels and other accommodation in McMinnville. McMinnville has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











