Surf Forecasts:
South Padre Island surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 6s period, ESE swell with 42 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 6s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 1PM. 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 | 1PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 6s |
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 – this is a tough one to write.
Honestly, for the next 16 days, we are looking at a real flat spell down here at South Padre Island. The surf is going to be pretty much non-existent for the entire stretch. We're talking about a complete blank run from now all the way through to the 11th of September. There’s simply no surf on offer worth paddling out for. The weather might be clear, but that doesn't put a wave under your board.
The entire forecast is a run of tiny, wind-affected slop. You're looking at swell heights barely scraping 3ft, and most of the time it's sitting around 1ft to 2ft. To make it worse, the wind is a constant cross-on affair, keeping things choppy and lumpy. A couple of afternoons around the 3rd and 6th of September see a bump in combined energy (31 and 65 respectively), but with the period being short and the wind straight onshore, it's just messy whitewater. For a beach/jetty setup like South Padre (United States), with that exposed ESE exposure, this kind of weak energy (single and low double-digit values) just doesn't have the grunt to overcome the breeze.
There are no standouts. There are no highlights. It’s a total write-off. For an area like this, a flat run is more normal in the late summer, but it still stings. The only thing that might be worth mentioning is that if the wind really cranks up from the SE and ESE as forecast, the beach setup might actually look more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle guys, but for a traditional surf, there's just nothing doing.
Hang in there, and hopefully those forecasts change.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 28°C on Thu morning, min 27°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun morning. Warm (max 29°C on Sun morning, min 28°C on Sun morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
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 4 | SE 4 | ESE 3 | SE 3 | E 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 5 | ESE 9 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | SE 5 | ESE 5 | E 5 | ESE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 20 | 31 | 24 | 24 | 31 | 18 | 29 | 28 | 34 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 2:08PM0.50m | 5:15AM0.52m | 3:17PM0.50m | 5:16AM0.50m | 4:24PM0.50m | 5:15AM0.48m | 5:36PM0.50m | 5:10AM0.48m | 7:00PM0.50m | 5:01AM0.49m | 8:53PM0.51m | 4:40AM0.51m | 00:18AM0.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:07AM0.46m | 9:48PM0.18m | 10:21AM0.41m | 10:23PM0.22m | 10:44AM0.36m | 10:59PM0.28m | 11:14AM0.31m | 11:35PM0.34m | 11:50AM0.25m | 00:12AM0.41m | 12:34PM0.20m | 00:51AM0.48m | 1:27PM0.16m | 1:42AM0.55m | |||||||
 | |  | | | | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — |
 | — | 7:53 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:52 | — | — | 7:51 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:49 | — | — | 7:47 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 32 | 32 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 4 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 4 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 5 | ESE 5 | — | ESE 6 |
| kJ | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 29 | — | 34 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | — | — | E 8 | — | — | — | — | SE 6 | — | S 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 8 | E 8 | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 3 | SE 4 | — | ESE 3 | SE 3 | SE 4 | ESE 3 | SE 3 | SE 5 | ESE 3 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | SE 5 | — | E 5 | — |
| kJ | — | 5 | 10 | — | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 20 | 20 | 31 | 24 | 24 | 31 | 18 | — | 28 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 974 | 1059 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 1059 | 971 | 974 | 971 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 999 | 971 |
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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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