Surf Forecasts:
South Padre Island surf forecast from 15 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 1PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 7s period, E swell with 135 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 7s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 1PM. Winds are predicted to be 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 (Fri 18th Sep) | 4ft (1.2m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for South Padre Island over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let me level with you. The next 16 days are pretty grim. We're looking at a long, dry spell with no real surf on offer. The first week looks like a write-off, and the second week doesn't bring any relief worth paddling out for. It's one of those stretches where the ocean just goes flat, and you're better off cleaning the wax off your board or doing something else entirely.
The best we get is some small, weak windswell, but the wind direction keeps it messy. The water is sitting around 85° with an anomaly of 1°, so pretty average for this time of year – warm and inviting, but the waves just aren't there to match.
For the first few days, from September 14th through the 16th, we're looking at tiny 1ft to 3ft junk coming from the SE and ESE with periods of 4 or 5 seconds. The wind is cross-onshore or onshore, so it's just lumpy and choppy. The combined energy is weak, lowest at 19 and topping out at a measly 32. There's nothing to recommend.
We see a slight bump in energy on Friday the 18th, with the swell picking up to 4ft from the E with a 7-second period. The combined energy hits 117 (moderate). Still, it's all onshore wind from the ENE, so it's going to be a mushy, bumpy mess at best. South Padre Island just doesn't have the shape to turn that into anything decent when the wind is on it.
After that, it's back to tiny dribble for the rest of the period, all the way through to September 29th. Swell heights hover between 0.7ft and 3ft, periods are all under 8 seconds, and the wind is mostly on or cross-on. There's a morning on September 22nd that turns glassy with 1ft from the ESE, but the swell direction is all wrong for the break's optimum (ESE), and the period is only 4 seconds – just not enough to push through.
Honestly, this is a 16-day blank. There's no standout day, no hidden gem. If you're a paddle surfer, find another hobby for a couple of weeks. If the wind picks up strong enough, this setup might look more interesting for kite surfing than anything with a paddle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 29°C on Mon afternoon, min 27°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Mon afternoon, light winds from the E by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu afternoon, min 27°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | ||||||||||||||
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 4 | SE 6 | SE 4 | ESE 6 | ESE 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 5 | E 6 | ENE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 7 | E 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 5 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 22 | 27 | 25 | 20 | 24 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 41 | 75 | 117 | 61 | 59 | 73 | 96 | 46 | 48 | 39 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:16PM0.53m | 10:55PM0.54m | 2:15AM0.56m | 2:37AM0.57m | 2:55AM0.57m | 3:05AM0.57m | 3:15AM0.56m | |||||||||||||
Low Tide | 00:49AM0.49m | 12:35PM0.16m | 00:56AM0.53m | 1:27PM0.17m | 2:26PM0.18m | 3:34PM0.19m | 4:43PM0.19m | 5:44PM0.20m | ||||||||||||
 |  | | | | |  |  | | |  | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — |
 | 7:35 | — | — | 7:32 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:28 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 32 | 29 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | — | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 9 | ESE 5 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 5 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | — | E 6 | SE 8 | — |
| kJ | 3 | — | 7 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 26 | 2 | 1 | 75 | 117 | 61 | 59 | 73 | — | 46 | 2 | — |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 9 | SE 7 | — | E 9 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | — | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | S 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 6 | SE 4 | ESE 6 | — | E 5 | E 5 | — | E 5 | E 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 7 | — | ESE 6 | ESE 5 |
| kJ | 22 | 27 | 25 | 20 | 24 | — | 13 | 22 | — | 28 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | 96 | — | 48 | 39 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1062 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 971 | 1063 | 971 | 974 | 1059 | 971 | 974 | 1062 | 971 | 61 | 1073 | 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