Surf Forecasts:
South Padre Island surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 7AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 5s period, SE swell with 35 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for South Padre Island this week:
The most powerful waves expected at South Padre Island in the next 16 days are 0.9m 5s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 7AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 7AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for South Padre Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty.
Alright, let's be straight with you. The 16-day window for South Padre Island is looking like a write-off for decent surf. We're talking from the start of the period right through to the end, there's no real window of clean, rideable waves on offer. The whole run is a bit of a bummer, to be honest.
We start off on Friday the 21st of August with small, weak swell. The water's warm at 85°, which is about average for this time of year, but that's about the only positive. The swell is coming from the SE at a tiny 2ft with a short period of 5 seconds, and the combined energy is a weak 18. The wind is a cross-shore breeze, but it's enough to put a chop on the surface. It's not good.
This same pattern just keeps repeating. Saturday the 22nd, Sunday the 23rd, Monday the 24th – it’s the same story. Tiny swell, mostly in the 1ft to 3ft range, and the wind is always on it, either a cross or cross-onshore breeze. The combined energy stays low, often under 20. It's the kind of stuff that makes you want to just leave the board in the car.
The second week's not much better. From Wednesday the 27th right through to the end of the month, the weak swell continues. The wind is a constant cross-onshore, from the SE or ESE, and the chop is always there. The swell energy finally starts to creep up a bit, hitting 55 on the 30th of August and getting into the 60s and even 109 on the 3rd of September, but it's all onshore, lumpy, and messy. The wave comment says "poor surf conditions" for every single time slot. There's just no standout day here.
The best bet in this whole mess would be the morning of Saturday the 5th of September. Even then, it's a stretch. The swell is still only 3ft from the ESE with a 6-second period, and the combined energy is a moderate 65. The wind is a cross-onshore breeze from the SSE at 12 mph. It's not clean, but it's the least ugly of a very ugly bunch. The break is South Padre Island, a beach/jetty setup that's exposed to the swell. It's rated for beginners, but even they'd be fighting a chop. It's inconsistent, and when there's barely any swell, that's a real problem.
Bottom line: this is a classic blank run for the area. We've got a whole lot of nothing. Forecasts can change, but right now, I'd be finding something else to do for the next two weeks. The conditions are more suited to a kite than a paddle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Fri morning, min 27°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Wed afternoon, min 27°C on Mon morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SSE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 3 | SE 3 | SSE 3 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 16 | 23 | 16 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 21 | 15 | 17 | 27 | 16 | 13 | 21 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:21AM0.59m | 4:35AM0.59m | 4:47AM0.59m | 4:57AM0.57m | 5:06AM0.56m | 5:12AM0.54m | 2:08PM0.50m | ||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 5:37PM0.16m | 6:31PM0.15m | 7:17PM0.14m | 7:59PM0.13m | 8:37PM0.14m | 10:09AM0.49m | 9:13PM0.15m | 10:07AM0.46m | 9:48PM0.18m | ||||||||||||
 | |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — |
 | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 |
Feels °C | 31 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 28 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | SE 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 6 | E 9 | SE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | E 8 | — | — | E 8 | — | E 8 | — | — | — | ESE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SSE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 3 | SE 3 | SSE 3 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 |
| kJ | 16 | 23 | 16 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 21 | 15 | 17 | 27 | 16 | 13 | 21 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 974 | 1051 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 981 | 971 | 974 | 991 | 971 | 974 | 1059 | 971 | 974 | 1059 | 971 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Texas | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 South Padre Island 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 South Padre Island Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for South Padre Island provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at South Padre Island can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our South Padre Island 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 (South Padre Island) 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 South Padre Island 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.
South Padre Island is 66 km (41 miles) from Harlingen. If you plan a vacation in Texas, look for hotels and other accommodation in Harlingen. Harlingen has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest