Surf Forecasts:
Magheraroarty Strand surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 12s period, NW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 12s period, NW swell with 734 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s period with NW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Magheraroarty Strand this week:
The surf forecast for Magheraroarty Strand over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 6s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Magheraroarty Strand in the next 16 days are 1.6m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 4AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (IST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 6s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 4AM (Mon 24th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Magheraroarty Strand over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what’s coming up for the north coast.
Right off the bat, it’s a quiet start. The first few days are a write-off for us. Thursday the 20th through to Saturday the 22nd are no good – that onshore wind from the north is just shredding any chance of clean waves. You won’t find me in the water.
Things start to look a little more hopeful from Sunday the 23rd. It’s not going to blow your mind, but the wind finally swings to a cross-offshore breeze. We’ve got small, knee-high sort of waves from the northwest, nothing special, but at least you can get a few grovelly ones if you’re desperate for a paddle.
Now, the standout is Monday the 24th. This is the one to circle on the calendar. The forecast is pointing to a proper pulse of groundswell in the water with 6 ft swell coming from a long-period WNW direction. That's clean, lined-up energy with a light, cross-offshore breeze and 732 units of energy pumping into the coast. The water is sitting at 61°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. For Magheraroarty Strand, that’s about as good as it gets. If you’re free on Monday morning, don’t waste it.
After that, the wind picks up again on Tuesday and Wednesday, so that window closes. Thursday the 27th morning has a hint of offshore flow with a bit of north swell, but it's small. The next real blip of interest is Friday the 28th morning with a 6 ft north swell, but the wind is a bit fiddly.
Looking further out, the model is hinting at something big for Thursday the 3rd of September. We’re looking at a solid 8 ft swell from the north, but here’s the thing – that’s actually too much juice for the break here. It’s going to be all closeout walls and no shape, so it's one for the experts only or maybe even the kite crowd. That Friday the 4th afternoon might be a more manageable option with 6 ft from the NW.
Overall, Monday the 24th is your best bet. The rest is a waiting game with a few tiny windows of mediocre surf.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Fri morning. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat morning, min 12°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Thu afternoon, light winds from the WNW by Sat night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun afternoon, strong winds from the E by Tue night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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) | N 7 | N 7 | N 6 | N 6 | N 5 | N 5 | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 9 | E 6 | E 4 | NE 6 | N 12 | W 10 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 475 | 258 | 173 | 126 | 59 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 39 | 55 | 399 | 615 | 356 | 220 | 132 | 34 | 38 | 47 | 67 | 122 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | on | on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 00:22AM2.31m | 1:08PM2.31m | 1:58AM2.17m | 2:55PM2.31m | 3:39AM2.23m | 4:15PM2.49m | 4:41AM2.41m | 5:05PM2.72m | 5:23AM2.61m | 5:42PM2.96m | 5:57AM2.80m | 6:15PM3.18m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:04PM1.19m | 6:36AM1.27m | 7:35PM1.36m | 8:14AM1.35m | 9:22PM1.32m | 9:43AM1.24m | 10:31PM1.14m | 10:40AM1.02m | 11:16PM0.92m | 11:20AM0.78m | 11:52PM0.69m | 11:54AM0.55m | 00:24AM0.47m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | | | | |  |  | | | | |  |  | | | |
 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | 8:55 | — | — | 8:52 | — | — | 8:51 | — | — | 8:47 | — | — | 8:45 | — | — | 8:44 | — | — | 8:40 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Temp °C | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 7 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 8 | WNW 8 | WSW 9 | WSW 8 | N 5 | WSW 9 | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NW 7 | NW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 10 | W 9 | NE 6 | W 9 | W 10 |
| kJ | 108 | 51 | 21 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 26 | 10 | 39 | 55 | 399 | 615 | 356 | 220 | 132 | 90 | 40 | 45 | 87 | 122 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | W 15 | WSW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 7 | WSW 10 | WNW 6 | WSW 9 | WNW 9 | WSW 8 | WSW 8 | W 14 | NW 13 | NW 11 | NW 9 | NW 9 | NNW 11 | W 8 | N 12 | N 11 |
| kJ | 5 | 4 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 31 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 161 | 94 | 43 | 20 | 24 | 50 | 67 | 59 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | W 17 | W 17 | W 16 | WNW 6 | W 16 | WNW 10 | WSW 8 | WNW 8 | W 10 | — | W 14 | — | N 12 | N 12 | NW 8 | NNW 12 | NE 5 | NNE 4 |
| kJ | — | — | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 2 | — | 4 | — | 3 | 3 | 3 | 47 | 9 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | N 7 | N 6 | N 6 | N 5 | WNW 5 | NNW 5 | W 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | E 4 | E 6 | E 4 | E 4 | SW 4 | WSW 5 |
| kJ | 475 | 258 | 173 | 126 | 59 | 10 | 14 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 24 | 34 | 38 | 8 | 16 | 4 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 781 | 259 | 392 | 348 | 183 | 124 | 361 | 341 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 98 | 214 | 238 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Donegal | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Magheraroarty Strand surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Magheraroarty Strand Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Magheraroarty Strand provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Magheraroarty Strand can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Magheraroarty Strand 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 (Magheraroarty Strand) 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 Magheraroarty Strand 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.
Magheroarty Strand is 35 km (22 miles) from the city of Letterkenny. If you plan a holiday in Donegal, look for hotels and other accommodation in Letterkenny. Letterkenny has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest