Surf Forecasts:
South Padre Island surf forecast from 22 Jul 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Monday 27 Jul, 7PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 5s period, SE swell with 58 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 1.1m 5s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (CDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for South Padre Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – we’re looking at a pretty bleak stretch ahead for the South Padre Island coastline. The whole 16-day run from July 21st right through to August 5th is a write-off for anything worth paddling out for. Every single period that’s been looked at is marked as poor surf conditions, so don’t be holding your breath.
The water temperature is sitting at a warm 83°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so that’s about the only thing that’s not letting us down.
Across the whole run, the swell is tiny – we’re talking nothing higher than about 4ft at best, but with periods so short (mostly 3 to 5 seconds) there’s just no energy or shape to it. The combined swell energy barely scrapes into double digits most days, typically between 14 and 63 (weak wave energy), so it’s limp, weak, and completely gutless.
On top of that, the wind is a constant problem. It’s nearly always blowing cross-onshore or onshore from the southeast, anywhere from 6 to 25 mph, leaving the water lumpy, choppy, or just messy. There’s one brief window on the morning of July 23rd where we get a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSW, and the wave comment even says “clean,” but with the swell height at only 3ft and a combined energy of just 31, it’s still a non-event.
The jetty at South Padre Island is an exposed beach/jetty setup that’s inconsistent, aimed at beginners, but it rarely breaks well even in good conditions. With the swell direction coming mostly from the ESE or SE, and the optimum being from the ESE, the angles are about right, but the size and period are just not there.
Honestly, this is one of those classic blank runs for the area. It’s not unusual for South Padre to go quiet like this in the summer, especially with persistent onshore winds. The best I can say is that forecasts can change, but for now, this 16-day outlook is a total flat spell. There’s honestly nothing here for a surfer. If you’ve got a kite, maybe, because the wind is there, but for paddle surfing? Save your energy.
Stay tuned for the next update, but this one’s a dud.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Warm (max 28°C on Tue afternoon, min 23°C on Thu morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Fri afternoon, min 27°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 9 | SSE 4 | ESE 9 | SE 3 | SSE 4 | SSE 3 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 9 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 28 | 19 | 19 | 31 | 49 | 34 | 36 | 31 | 27 | 40 | 31 | 41 | 49 | 51 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 5:54AM0.54m | 5:01AM0.57m | 5:04AM0.60m | 5:20AM0.61m | 5:39AM0.61m | 5:58AM0.61m | ||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 4:32PM0.20m | 5:26PM0.16m | 6:15PM0.14m | 7:00PM0.12m | 7:42PM0.11m | 8:22PM0.09m | 9:00PM0.09m | |||||||||||||
 |  | | |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — |
 | 8:22 | — | — | 8:22 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:21 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:20 | — | — | 8:19 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 28 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 9 | SE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | E 10 |
| kJ | 8 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 7 | E 6 | E 6 | E 9 | E 9 | E 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | E 6 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 3 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SE 3 | SSE 4 | SSE 3 | SSE 4 | SSE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 |
| kJ | 9 | 18 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 7 | 28 | 19 | 19 | 31 | 49 | 34 | 36 | 31 | 27 | 40 | 31 | 41 | 49 | 51 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1063 | 971 | 974 | 1063 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 1055 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 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