Surf Forecasts:
South Padre Island surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 7PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 5s period, SE swell with 71 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 Sunday (Sep 13) 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 (Sun 13th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 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’ve got a long, quiet stretch ahead for South Padre Island. The good news is, the water is sitting at a warm 84°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick suit.
The overall pattern is poor. There’s no real surf to get excited about for the first several days, and honestly, the whole 16-day window looks pretty flat. The first recommendation doesn’t come until Monday, the 14th of September, and even then, it’s a sad picture. We’ve got a gap of about 8 days of basically nothing worth mentioning before we see any pulse of energy.
Let’s run through it. From Sunday the 6th right through the weekend of the 13th, it’s a flat spell. Winds are mostly cross-onshore, sometimes gusty, and the swell is tiny, with periods so short you’d be bobbing around more than riding. The combined energy values are in the low double digits – weak energy (4 to 64) – telling you there’s just no push.
Now, Monday the 14th of September morning shows a slight bump: a 3ft swell from the SE, period 6 seconds, but the wind is still a fresh cross-onshore at 18 mph. The energy climbs to 165 (moderate) by the afternoon, with a 4ft SE swell, but that onshore wind is going to mess it up. It’s a beach/jetty setup, so it’ll be choppy and lumpy. Not a standout.
Tuesday the 15th of September afternoon sees the energy peak at 191 (moderate), with a 4ft swell from the SE, period 7 seconds. Still, that wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 18 mph. For a beginner-friendly beach break, this is messy and not worth the paddle. It’s just too blown out.
The last little blip is Sunday the 20th of September afternoon, with a 4ft swell from the ESE, period 7 seconds, and the energy at 176 (moderate). But again, cross-onshore wind at 15 mph. The break is exposed to the ESE, which is the optimum direction, but the wind kills it.
Honestly, there’s no standout session here. For a spot that’s inconsistent, this blank run is a bit more normal for the area. It tends not to stay poor for long, and forecasts can change, but right now, I wouldn’t be waxing up. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing with these onshore winds.
Take it easy, check the charts later, and maybe wait for a cleaner day.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Tue night. Warm (max 29°C on Sun morning, min 28°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Wed afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Wed morning, min 27°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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 5 | SE 3 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 3 | SE 4 | SE 5 | ESE 3 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 19 | 25 | 21 | 13 | 20 | 22 | 26 | 19 | 29 | 32 | 21 | 18 | 19 |
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-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:50AM0.63m | 4:13AM0.60m | 4:28AM0.56m | 1:27PM0.55m | 4:36AM0.51m | 2:52PM0.56m | 4:37AM0.47m | 4:09PM0.56m | 4:33AM0.45m | 5:23PM0.55m | |||||||||||
Low Tide | 6:17PM0.06m | 7:22PM0.06m | 9:21AM0.53m | 8:21PM0.09m | 9:05AM0.48m | 9:15PM0.14m | 9:22AM0.41m | 10:05PM0.21m | 9:52AM0.33m | 10:52PM0.28m | 10:27AM0.27m | 11:35PM0.36m | |||||||||
 | |  | | | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:09 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — |
 | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:42 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:38 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 |
Feels °C | 33 | 30 | 30 | 33 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 32 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | E 8 | — | — | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 5 | SE 5 | SE 8 | ESE 7 | — | — | E 8 | — | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | 3 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 21 | 2 | 5 | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 5 | E 7 | E 8 | — | — | E 8 | — | — | SE 8 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 3 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 3 | SE 4 | SE 5 | ESE 3 | SE 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SE 4 | SE 4 |
| kJ | — | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 19 | 10 | 15 | 13 | 20 | 22 | 26 | 19 | 29 | 32 | 21 | 18 | 19 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 974 | 1062 | 974 | 971 | 1062 | 971 | 971 | 1055 | 971 | 974 | 1059 | 971 | 65 | 1062 | 971 | 971 | 1016 | 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