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Surf Forecasts:
Thurso East surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 1AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, WNW swell with 6,091 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Thurso East this week:
The surf forecast for Thurso East over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 4PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thurso East in the next 16 days are 4.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 1AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 17) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 4PM (Sun 13th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 1AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso East over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, gather round. Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Thurso East, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag, a real test of patience. We’ve got a solid 16-day window, but don’t go grabbing your wetsuit just yet for the first few days.
The week starts rough. Saturday the 12th is a write-off – big, lumpy, cross-onshore winds and that swell energy is massive (3242), but it’s a mess. It cleans up a bit by Sunday the 13th afternoon. You’ll see a drop to a clean 6 ft of WNW swell, and the wind goes glassy. That’s a proper little window, but it’s brief and the energy is still moderate. Monday the 14th morning has clean, offshore winds on a small 3 ft NNW swell, and the afternoon goes to a clean 5 ft... both calm, but tiny. Then the wind swings back on Tuesday the 15th, ruining the 7 ft and 3 ft offerings. We go through a pretty rough patch right through to the middle of the week.
Now, for the standouts. Keep your eyes on Monday the 21st and Thursday the 24th. Monday the 21st morning is the first proper whisper of something special. You’ve got a solid 18 ft of WNW swell (energy is a whopping 7716) and a clean cross-offshore wind from the SSW. That is a lot of water, and it’s only for experts, but it’s looking clean. The stand-out, the one that had me pacing, is Thursday the 24th. The morning is absolutely pumping – a 28 ft WNW swell (energy is a barrel-chested 23088) and clean offshore wind from the SSE. It’s huge, it’s proper, and the forecast is for exceptional conditions for the experts. The afternoon settles to a still-very-large 18 ft, still clean. That Thursday morning is the pick of the whole period.
There are gaps, no doubt. The first half of the window is a lot of waiting for the wind to play nice, and there’s rough stuff in between. But that long, period groundswell (13 seconds on the 24th) will be groomed by that offshore flow at a point break – it’s going to be world-class, if you’re brave enough. The water temp is about 56°F, which is pretty normal for September in these parts, so don’t expect a tropical dip.
So, the call is: wait it out. The first week is a battle, but that run from Monday the 21st through Thursday the 24th is the real deal. It’s a long-range promise, so don’t book the time off just yet, but keep it pencilled in.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Mon night. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 10°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WNW on Sat afternoon, calm by Sun afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Tue morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Tue morning, min 9°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Wed night, fresh winds from the W by Thu afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 12 | W 9 | W 10 | WNW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 12 | W 10 | N 9 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 14 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2213 | 3242 | 1928 | 938 | 607 | 295 | 250 | 311 | 262 | 1001 | 192 | 233 | 449 | 358 | 230 | 319 | 450 | 6091 | 4295 | 2904 | 1390 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:12AM5.01m | 10:14PM5.32m | 10:45AM4.94m | 10:49PM5.21m | 11:16AM4.81m | 11:23PM5.00m | 11:47AM4.64m | 11:58PM4.71m | 12:19PM4.44m | 00:35AM4.38m | 12:56PM4.22m | 1:21AM4.04m | 1:43PM4.00m | 2:27AM3.75m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:05PM1.28m | 4:31AM0.90m | 4:40PM1.32m | 5:06AM1.09m | 5:15PM1.44m | 5:39AM1.36m | 5:50PM1.64m | 6:12AM1.69m | 6:27PM1.89m | 6:47AM2.04m | 7:09PM2.16m | 7:27AM2.38m | 8:04PM2.43m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  |  |  | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:35 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | 7:44 | — | — | 7:40 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:29 | — | — | 7:25 | — |
mm | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 9 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
Feels °C | 9 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 13 | SE 7 | — | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | NNW 12 | W 9 | W 10 | SE 6 | W 10 | W 10 | W 12 | NNW 8 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 |
| kJ | 2213 | 8 | — | 938 | 607 | 295 | 250 | 311 | 262 | 1 | 192 | 233 | 449 | 318 | 230 | 132 | 78 | 39 | 4295 | 2904 | 1390 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 9 | — | — | NNW 14 | NNW 13 | NNW 12 | WNW 9 | NNW 12 | NNW 11 | — | N 10 | SE 6 | NE 10 | W 10 | W 9 | SE 5 | SE 5 | — | N 9 | N 8 | N 9 |
| kJ | 6 | — | — | 41 | 125 | 267 | 135 | 228 | 198 | — | 68 | 1 | 4 | 358 | 168 | 1 | 1 | — | 23 | 13 | 6 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NW 12 | — | SE 5 | — | — | SE 6 | — | SE 6 | E 10 | NE 7 | NE 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | — | 4 | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 4 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | — | — | SE 3 | S 4 | — | SE 6 | WNW 10 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 8 | — | S 3 | W 8 | W 8 | WNW 14 | — | — | S 3 |
| kJ | 48 | 3242 | 1928 | — | — | 2 | 9 | — | 5 | 1001 | 97 | 141 | 316 | — | 4 | 319 | 450 | 6091 | — | — | 6 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 423 | 198 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 646 | 1114 | 784 | 192 | 25 | 3 | 413 | 413 | 413 | 418 | 2 | 458 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Scotland - North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Thurso East Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Thurso East provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Thurso East can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Thurso East 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 (Thurso East) 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 Thurso East 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 holiday in Scotland - North Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near Thurso East, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Scotland - North Coast, consider staying in Scrabster which is 2 km (1 miles) away. Other places in and around Scotland - North Coast where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Wick which is 31 km (19 miles) away and Kirkwall, 52 km (32 miles) away.
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