Surf Forecasts:
Lincoln City surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 12s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 11s period, WNW swell with 478 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 13s period with WNW 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 Tuesday (Aug 18) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 7s. 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 1.4m 11s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (PDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 18th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Lincoln City over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you about the Oregon coast around Lincoln City. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for the most part, so don't get your hopes up for a clean session.
Looking at the whole stretch, we're in for a long, tough run. There's almost nothing worth paddling out for. The water's running a crazy 3° colder than usual for this time of year, sitting around 53°F – that's a serious anomaly, so you'll want a thick wetsuit even if you do decide to brave it.
The pattern starts off weak and stays that way. For the first few days, from Tuesday the 18th right through to about Saturday the 22nd, it's all tiny, messy, onshore slop. Swells are mostly between 2ft and 5ft but from the SW or WNW, with the wind constantly coming from the NNW, making for chop. The wave energy is weak to moderate, hitting values like 356 and 656. Honestly, it's poor.
We get a bit of a reprieve on Thursday the 20th morning – the wind goes light and onshore from the WNW with a 5ft swell and a moderate energy of 656, but it's still only a "marginal" call. Nothing to get excited about.
Then from Sunday the 23rd into the start of September, it's just a depressing run of "poor surf conditions" day after day. The swell stays small, under 5ft, and the period is short and weak (mostly 6-8 seconds) with cross-shore or cross-onshore winds. The energy is moderate but it's all junk. For the week leading up to the 31st, you're looking at a long gap with nothing worth recommending.
The only flicker of hope comes way out on Monday the 31st of August and Tuesday the 1st of September. We get a bigger pulse of WNW swell. On Monday afternoon, the combined energy jumps to a strong 1282 with a 6ft swell and a period of 13 seconds – that's some proper groundswell. But the wind is a moderate cross-shore from the NNW, so it'll be a cross-chop. The rating is still just marginal. This swell is better suited for a point break or reef, not the exposed beach setup at Lincoln City. The long period will make it dumpy and harder to manage on the sandbars. For the beginner surfer, anything over 5ft is getting tricky, and the 6ft on the 31st afternoon is pushing it.
Overall, there are no standouts. The best of a bad bunch is probably the Thursday the 20th morning, but it's nothing to write home about. It looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing through most of this.
This is Rusty, signing off. Keep the board in the car and the wetsuit dry for a bit longer.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | ||||||||||||||
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 14 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
153 | 267 | 303 | 337 | 343 | 478 | 404 | 191 | 150 | 131 | 142 | 219 | 268 | 205 | 88 | 151 | 173 | 150 | 154 | 132 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 5:01PM1.90m | 6:21AM1.32m | 5:43PM1.83m | 7:53AM1.25m | 6:35PM1.77m | 9:33AM1.27m | 7:39PM1.74m | 10:44AM1.34m | 8:47PM1.75m | 11:28AM1.41m | 9:47PM1.80m | 12:01PM1.47m | 10:38PM1.87m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:27AM0.24m | 11:42AM0.68m | 1:33AM0.25m | 12:33PM0.81m | 2:45AM0.24m | 1:48PM0.89m | 3:53AM0.20m | 3:13PM0.90m | 4:49AM0.13m | 4:22PM0.86m | 5:35AM0.06m | 5:13PM0.78m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | |
8:17 | — | — | 8:15 | — | — | 8:14 | — | — | 8:13 | — | — | 8:10 | — | — | 8:08 | — | — | 8:07 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 14 |
Feels °C | 14 | 12 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 16 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 13 | NW 7 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 |
141 | 89 | 303 | 337 | 343 | 478 | 404 | 125 | 118 | 108 | 142 | 219 | 268 | 205 | 41 | 24 | 81 | 150 | 154 | 132 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | WNW 12 | NW 6 | SW 16 | NW 7 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 19 | WNW 11 | WNW 8 | SSW 12 | W 18 |
153 | 267 | 45 | 87 | 89 | 169 | 167 | 191 | 150 | 131 | 98 | 66 | 43 | 44 | 41 | 95 | 12 | 19 | 15 | 55 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 13 | SW 14 | W 21 | WNW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | W 10 | WSW 18 | SW 17 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SSW 14 |
16 | 91 | 88 | 44 | 167 | 9 | 21 | 97 | 133 | 97 | 85 | 17 | 31 | 71 | 40 | 38 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 20 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 6 | — | — | NW 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 7 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NW 6 | NW 6 |
46 | — | — | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 88 | 151 | 173 | 103 | 95 | 106 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 378 | 1 | 219 | 219 | 1 | 219 | 547 | 1 | 219 | 219 | 177 | 219 | 219 | 22 | 222 | 353 | 1 | 214 | 293 | 22 |
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.











