Surf Forecasts:
120th Street surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 6s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 6s period, S swell with 158 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 5s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for 120th Street this week:
The surf forecast for 120th Street over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 5s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at 120th Street in the next 16 days are 1.4m 6s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 6s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for 120th Street over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.
First off, the water temp at 120th Street is sitting at 79°, which is a solid 4° warmer than you’d normally expect this time of year. That’s pretty unusual – feels like summer has really held on.
Now, the surf. I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. We’re looking at a long, dry gap right from the start. From Saturday the 22nd right through to the end of the month, there’s just nothing worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny, mostly around 0.7 ft to 1.0 ft, and the energy is weak (33 units). The wind is messy, the conditions are poor, and the scores are flat. It’s a real blank run.
We finally see a little spike on Thursday the 27th afternoon, with a jump to 3 ft from the SE, period around 9 seconds, and energy hitting 125. But the wind is cross-onshore and choppy, so it’s still pretty ordinary. The following Friday morning, the 28th, we get a bit of clean surf with 3 ft from the S and a cross-off breeze, but that swell is short period (5 seconds) and the energy is only 74. It’s surfable but nothing to get excited about.
The real standout in this whole outlook comes on Tuesday, the 1st of September. Tuesday morning we’ve got 5 ft from the east, period 7 seconds, energy jumping to 296, and a clean cross-off breeze from the SSW. That’s the best looking window. Tuesday afternoon gets even more interesting: 4 ft from the ESE, but the period stretches to 13 seconds, and the energy rockets up to 775. The wind is still cross-off and clean. That’s a proper groundswell setup, but with that long period, it might break a bit straight at a beach break. Keep that in mind. This one’s for the experienced crew – 4 ft to 5 ft with that energy is solid, but it’s not beginner-friendly.
The rest of the first week of September is mostly marginal or poor, with a few clean mornings but small swell. The second week, from the 4th onward, drops right back into tiny, weak surf with onshore winds and no real energy.
So, bottom line: if you’re patient, Tuesday the 1st of September is your day. The afternoon session looks the best of the whole 16 days, but it’s a long-range call so keep an eye on it. Until then, the beach is more for a walk than a paddle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 21°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 26°C on Thu morning, min 20°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NE 6 | SE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 6 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | S 5 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 14 | 17 | 24 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 26 | 23 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 18 | 15 | 21 | 19 | 123 | 35 | 37 | 28 | 50 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | 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 | 9:53AM0.30m | 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 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 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 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 22 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 24 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 25 | 30 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | SE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 10 | — | ESE 5 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 11 | 9 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 18 | 15 | 21 | 19 | — | 17 | 31 | 28 | 50 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ENE 5 | E 8 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | E 6 | E 14 | ESE 7 | E 8 | ESE 9 | E 5 | SE 6 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 14 | 13 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 26 | 23 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 1 | 35 | 4 | 11 | 26 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | ESE 13 | E 8 | ESE 12 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 14 | E 6 | E 12 | E 8 | S 5 | E 11 | E 4 | E 10 |
| kJ | 7 | 17 | 11 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 3 | SE 4 | SSE 5 | — | S 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 5 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SE 9 | — | S 5 | S 4 | — |
| kJ | 1 | 12 | 24 | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 8 | 12 | 123 | — | 37 | 14 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 265 | 188 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 156 | 25 | 160 | 25 | 362 | 25 | 156 | 317 | 553 | 201 | 265 | 1147 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Maryland | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the 120th Street Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for 120th Street provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at 120th Street can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our 120th 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 (120th 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 120th 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.
120th Street is 11 km (7 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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