Surf Forecasts:
South Padre Island surf forecast from 10 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 5s period, SE swell with 76 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 1.3m 5s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 4PM. 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 | 4PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 5s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for South Padre Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Hey folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you – the next 16 days for South Padre Island are looking pretty grim for paddle surfing. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. The Finder is showing zero recommendations across the entire period, which is a real bummer.
We're staring down a long stretch of poor surf conditions starting now and running all the way through. The first real chance of anything remotely rideable doesn't even show up until Thursday, September 24th, and even then, the data says it's still "poor surf conditions." That's a lot of flat or junk days to sit through.
Looking at the guidance, the only break on offer is South Padre Island, a beach and jetty setup that's inconsistent and exposed to the ESE. For a beginner-friendly spot, that's normal – it gets real quiet here.
For the first week and a half, it's a relentless parade of small, short-period windswell. We're talking 1 ft to 4 ft peaks, with periods barely hitting 4 to 6 seconds. The wind is a constant problem – mostly cross-shore or cross-onshore, often fresh or strong breeze, just chopping everything up. The combined swell energy is weak, barely cracking 100 (highest is 77). The water is a warm 85°, about what you'd expect for this time of year.
The one tiny glimmer of hope, and I mean tiny, is on the morning of Thursday, September 24th. We get a pulse of 5 ft swell from the east at 7 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 311 (moderate), and the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the NNW. That's the only time in the whole run we see that word "clean." Still, with a 7-second period, it's gonna be a bit weak and choppy. It's a beach break, so the longer period isn't a huge issue, but the waves will be crumbly.
Honestly, with that combined energy and the persistent onshore/cross-shore winds on a beach setup, a lot of this period looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The wind is blowing, and the waves are small and messy.
Keep your eyes on that Thursday, September 24th morning window. It's the only thing that might be worth a look, but don't get your hopes up. That's the long-range truth, and it's not pretty.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Sat morning, min 28°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Wed night, fresh winds from the SE by Fri afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Sat afternoon, min 28°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | ||||||||||||||
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 4 | SE 3 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SSE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SE 5 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 8 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 59 | 25 | 63 | 51 | 34 | 76 | 51 | 50 | 49 | 55 | 54 | 65 | 68 | 54 | 71 | 49 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:36AM0.51m | 2:52PM0.56m | 4:37AM0.47m | 4:09PM0.56m | 4:33AM0.45m | 5:23PM0.55m | 4:23AM0.46m | 6:41PM0.54m | 4:07AM0.48m | 8:16PM0.53m | 10:55PM0.54m | |||||||||
Low Tide | 9:15PM0.14m | 9:22AM0.41m | 10:05PM0.21m | 9:52AM0.33m | 10:52PM0.28m | 10:27AM0.27m | 11:35PM0.36m | 11:06AM0.21m | 00:14AM0.44m | 11:49AM0.18m | 00:49AM0.49m | 12:35PM0.16m | 00:56AM0.53m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — |
 | 7:39 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:36 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:32 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 31 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 8 | E 6 | E 6 | ENE 6 | E 5 | E 6 | E 5 | E 10 | E 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | — | SE 6 | NE 4 | E 8 | SE 8 | — | E 8 | E 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 4 | SE 3 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SSE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SE 5 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | SE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 |
| kJ | 8 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 59 | 25 | 63 | 51 | 34 | 76 | 51 | 50 | 49 | 55 | 54 | 65 | 68 | 54 | 71 | 49 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1062 | 971 | 971 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 1059 | 971 | 974 | 1059 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 974 | 971 | 1059 | 971 | 974 | 1063 | 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