Surf Forecasts:
South Padre Island surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 5s period, SE swell with 31 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 0.8m 5s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 4AM. 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 | 4AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for South Padre Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, and the story's the same but in feet and miles per hour. South Padre Island is looking at a flat, blown-out stretch with barely a pulse. We're talking a long haul of nothing from the start, with the only flicker of life showing up on Saturday, September 5th.
From Sunday, August 23rd, it’s a bust. Swell heights are under 3 ft, the period is short and weak, and the wind is onshore or cross-onshore every day, making for choppy, poor surf. The combined wave energy is low, just a few dozen points, for over a week. It’s a big gap with absolutely no recommendations.
The only time the energy even gets into the moderate range is on that Saturday afternoon, September 5th. You’ll see the swell from the SE bump up to about 3 ft, with a 6-second period. The combined energy hits 101, so there’s some weight. But the wind will be a fresh cross-onshore at 22 mph, which is going to tear the surface apart at the beach break. The swell direction is SE, not the ideal ESE, and the short period means the waves will be weak and sectiony. For a spot like South Padre, the poor wave quality with this wind and short period makes it a much better call for kite surfers than anyone with a paddle. Crowds are sometimes a thing here, but not with this forecast.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sat night, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Tue night, min 27°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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 4 | SE 3 | SE 3 | SE 4 | ESE 9 | SE 4 | SE 4 | ESE 9 | SE 4 | SE 5 | ESE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | ESE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 12 | 16 | 14 |
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-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 4:35AM0.59m | 4:47AM0.59m | 4:57AM0.57m | 5:06AM0.56m | 5:12AM0.54m | 2:08PM0.50m | 5:15AM0.52m | 3:17PM0.50m | 5:16AM0.50m | 4:24PM0.50m | |||||||||||
Low Tide | 7:17PM0.14m | 7:59PM0.13m | 8:37PM0.14m | 10:09AM0.49m | 9:13PM0.15m | 10:07AM0.46m | 9:48PM0.18m | 10:21AM0.41m | 10:23PM0.22m | 10:44AM0.36m | 10:59PM0.28m | ||||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:03 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — |
 | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:57 | — | — | 7:55 | — | — | 7:54 | — | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 30 | 28 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 4 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 8 | — | — | E 8 | SE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 7 | — |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 3 | SE 3 | SE 4 | ESE 3 | SE 4 | SE 4 | ESE 3 | SE 4 | SE 5 | ESE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | ESE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 4 |
| kJ | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 12 | 16 | 14 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 981 | 971 | 974 | 1051 | 971 | 974 | 1059 | 971 | 974 | 1063 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 |
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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.
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