Surf Forecasts:
South Padre Island surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Friday 21 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 5s period, SE swell with 63 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 1.2m 5s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 7AM.
| Wave Type | Time (CDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Fri 21st Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for South Padre Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Rusty here. Let’s lay it out plain: South Padre Island is in a real rough patch. For the next 16 days, there’s barely a whisper of decent surf. Right from the start, it’s tiny, bumpy, and the wind is making everything worse.
All of the first week, through the end of August, we’ve got insignificant swell and bad wind. The combined energy readings are weak, mostly between 18 and 66, with wave faces from 0.3ft to maybe 1ft. Most mornings start with a bit of hope, but then the ESE and SE winds pick up, making it cross-onshore and choppy. A couple mornings, like Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th, go glassy, but those waves are only 0.5ft to 0.8ft. You could go sit out there, but you’ll be floating and not much else.
Heading into the second week, September 1st gives us the “biggest” swell of the whole stretch: about 1ft from the east with a combined energy of 104. But even that is hit with a cross-onshore breeze, so it’s messy and lumpy.
There’s simply no good option here. No clean, fun waves on offer. The water temperature is average for the time of year, no big anomalies. Honestly, the way the wind is blowing and the tiny size of the swell, this looks more like a kitesurf setup than a day to paddle your surfboard. It’s a tough stretch, and we’re in for a blank run. Forecasts do change, but as of now, leave the longboard at home.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Wed morning, min 27°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Mon morning, fresh winds from the SE by Wed afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 27°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SE on Thu afternoon, light winds from the SSE by Fri morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 6 | ESE 6 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | ESE 9 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 17 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 56 | 31 | 23 | 32 | 29 | 17 | 25 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 12 |
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-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 10:13PM0.49m | 5:28AM0.51m | 4:42AM0.54m | 4:07AM0.57m | 4:10AM0.58m | 4:21AM0.59m | 4:35AM0.59m | ||||||||||||||
Low Tide | 1:33PM0.22m | 00:54AM0.48m | 2:30PM0.20m | 3:32PM0.18m | 4:36PM0.17m | 5:37PM0.16m | 6:31PM0.15m | 7:17PM0.14m | |||||||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — |
 | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:02 | — | — | 8:01 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:59 | — | — | 7:58 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 32 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 6 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 5 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | E 10 | E 9 | SE 9 | — | E 9 | — | E 8 | E 8 | — | — | SE 5 | SE 7 | — |
| kJ | 17 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 16 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 3 | — | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 2 | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | ESE 9 | — | ESE 5 | E 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 8 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ESE 6 | SE 4 | SSE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SSW 2 | SE 4 | SE 4 |
| kJ | — | 18 | 10 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 11 | 28 | 25 | 21 | 56 | 31 | 23 | 32 | 29 | 17 | 25 | 14 | 1 | 13 | 12 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 974 | 991 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 1059 | 971 | 974 | 1059 | 971 | 974 | 1059 | 992 | 971 | 999 | 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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