Surf Forecasts:
The Lighthouse surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 6s period, E swell with 125 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Lighthouse this week:
The most powerful waves expected at The Lighthouse in the next 16 days are 1.4m 6s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (EDT) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 6s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Lighthouse over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s happening at The Lighthouse.
Honestly, the first part of this forecast is a tough one. From Saturday the 5th all the way to Friday the 18th of September, there’s almost nothing to get excited about. It’s day after day of tiny, weak, or messy surf. The wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and even when it turns offshore, the swell is flat. That’s a long, quiet stretch, so save your energy.
The one bright spot pops up on Friday the 18th of September, in the afternoon. The swell bumps up to about 3ft from the ENE, with a clean, cross-offshore breeze from the southwest. The combined energy of all swells is moderate at 225. It’s still a marginal call – the tide might mess with it – but it’s the first real chance in over a week. The Lighthouse is a beach and jetty spot, so with that cross-off wind, it could clean up enough for a few fun ones if you’re not too picky.
After that, it’s back to poor conditions. The following Saturday and Sunday (19th and 20th September) are a write-off, with strong northerly winds blowing out the tiny surf and creating a messy cross-shore chop. No real standouts in this window. The only day worth a second look is that Friday afternoon, and that’s a low bar.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Sun morning. Warm (max 29°C on Sat afternoon, min 25°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNE on Sat night, fresh winds from the ENE by Mon morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Wed afternoon, fresh winds from the SW by Thu afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | ||||||||||||||
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 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | E 5 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 6 | E 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | E 9 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 10 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 41 | 60 | 116 | 124 | 72 | 42 | 31 | 27 | 24 | 45 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:56AM0.79m | 2:53PM1.15m | 3:10AM0.80m | 4:03PM1.17m | 4:21AM0.84m | 5:06PM1.20m | 5:25AM0.92m | 6:02PM1.22m | 6:22AM1.01m | 6:53PM1.22m | 7:13AM1.08m | 7:40PM1.20m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:19PM0.23m | 7:59AM0.09m | 9:32PM0.22m | 9:12AM0.08m | 10:38PM0.18m | 10:23AM0.04m | 11:35PM0.12m | 11:28AM0.00m | 00:26AM0.07m | 12:27PM-0.03m | 1:11AM0.02m | 1:21PM-0.05m | 1:54AM-0.01m | ||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — |
 | 7:24 | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:21 | — | — | 7:19 | — | — | 7:17 | — | — | 7:15 | — |
mm | 1 | — | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 28 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
Feels °C | 28 | 27 | 32 | 29 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | S 5 | SSW 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 6 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 8 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SSW 6 |
| kJ | 10 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 33 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 45 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 25 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 5 | SW 5 | S 5 | E 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 2 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 42 | 31 | 27 | 24 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 6 | SE 9 | E 7 | E 8 | ENE 10 | E 13 | E 12 | SW 5 | SW 5 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SE 6 |
| kJ | — | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 5 | W 3 | — | — | ENE 2 | E 5 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | ESE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 4 | SW 4 | SSW 5 | NE 3 |
| kJ | 43 | 6 | — | — | 2 | 41 | 60 | 116 | 124 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | 24 | 50 | 8 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 202 | 37 | 808 | 14 | 613 | 866 | 465 | 409 | 565 | 293 | 293 | 398 | 120 | 78 | 1040 | 258 | 293 | 501 | 208 |
Best forecast wave conditions in North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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 The Lighthouse 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 The Lighthouse Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Lighthouse provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Lighthouse can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Lighthouse 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 (The Lighthouse) 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 The Lighthouse 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.
Are you planning a vacation in North Carolina? If you are looking for accommodation near The Lighthouse, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in North Carolina, consider staying in Cape Hatteras which is 16 km (10 miles) away.
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