Surf Forecasts:
120th Street surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 11s period, ESE swell with 76 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 11s period with SE 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at 120th Street in the next 16 days are 0.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 4s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Tue 25th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for 120th Street over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking.
Well, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch ahead for 120th Street. This is a beach/jetty setup that’s exposed to the southeast, and right now, the ocean’s just not cooperating. The first ten days or so are a write-off. From Tuesday the 18th right through to the end of August, it’s all poor surf conditions with tiny, weak swell and messy wind. The water’s sitting at 79°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – feels like a bath, but not helping the waves.
You’ll see a few little bumps around the 22nd and 23rd, but those are blown out with onshore wind and barely 3 ft of weak, short-period slop. Not worth paddling out for. The only real glimmer comes mid-week, around Wednesday the 26th of August. The morning session shows a 1 ft swell from the ESE with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s real groundswell energy, but it’s tiny. The combined energy is moderate at 88, and crucially, we’ve got a light south-southwest wind blowing cross-offshore, leaving the surface clean. It’s surfable, but you’ll be scratching for anything rideable. Not a standout, just the best of a bad lot.
Then Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th mornings offer similar clean windows with cross-off winds, and the swell ticks up just a bit – 2 ft and 2 ft from the ESE, with periods around 11 to 13 seconds. The energy is moderate (132 and 101). Still, these are small, ordinary waves at best.
The second week doesn’t get much better. By Sunday the 30th of August, the swell jumps to 3 ft from the ESE with a period of 12 seconds, and the combined energy hits 242 (moderate), but the wind is cross-onshore from the ENE, making it choppy. It’s a no-go for paddle surfing – that kind of setup with onshore wind and a beach break looks more interesting for kite surfing.
Honestly, there’s no proper standout session here. The whole 16-day window is a struggle. The surf is small, inconsistent, and often wind-affected. Keep your expectations low and maybe save the wax for another time.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 31mm), heaviest during Thu afternoon. Warm (max 28°C on Wed afternoon, min 22°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 60mm), heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 19°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 7 | SE 6 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | NE 4 | ENE 4 | ESE 9 | E 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | S 5 | S 5 | SSE 6 | ESE 12 | SSE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 27 | 14 | 56 | 34 | 22 | 20 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 13 | 15 | 25 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 26 | 13 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | on | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | on | cross |
High Tide | 12:46PM1.24m | 1:00AM1.04m | 1:34PM1.19m | 1:50AM0.97m | 2:22PM1.16m | 2:43AM0.92m | 3:14PM1.14m | 3:41AM0.90m | 4:11PM1.14m | 4:42AM0.92m | 5:07PM1.17m | 5:39AM0.96m | 6:00PM1.22m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:52PM0.21m | 6:57AM0.20m | 7:51PM0.27m | 7:50AM0.27m | 8:55PM0.30m | 8:52AM0.30m | 9:57PM0.29m | 9:53AM0.30m | 10:51PM0.26m | 10:48AM0.27m | 11:39PM0.20m | 11:38AM0.23m | 00:24AM0.15m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  | | | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — |
 | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:42 | — |
mm | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 17 | 9 | — | — | 16 | 6 | 1 | 17 | 7 | — | 13 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 24 |
Feels °C | 28 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 23 | 22 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 29 | 25 | 20 | 23 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 6 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | S 5 | S 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 27 | 14 | 56 | 34 | 22 | 20 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 15 | 25 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 19 | 12 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | ESE 9 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 4 | — | S 3 | S 3 | ESE 8 | S 5 | S 4 | — | ESE 8 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | ENE 5 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 |
| kJ | 6 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 2 | — | 14 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 26 | 12 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | ESE 12 | — | NNE 4 | — | — | SE 5 | SE 5 | E 16 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 13 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 12 | ENE 5 | E 7 | N 3 | E 7 |
| kJ | 6 | 14 | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | S 3 | — | — | — | NE 4 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | — | S 4 | — | — | — | — | N 3 | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 21 | 13 | 14 | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 229 | 399 | 0 | 5 | 605 | 218 | 261 | 605 | 579 | 1050 | 344 | 442 | 4 | 265 | 264 | 177 | 557 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 120 |
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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