
Surf Forecasts:
Thurso East surf forecast from 2 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period, N swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, W swell with 3,668 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 3 Sep, 4AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period with N 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 Thursday (Sep 03) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thurso East in the next 16 days are 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 10AM.
| Wave Type | Time (BST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thurso East over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but things are about to kick off proper. The first real opportunity to get wet is on Wednesday the 2nd of September, and it’s a ripper for the experienced crew out here.
Thurso East is the only game in town, and for a few hours it’s going to be world-class. Wednesday afternoon, that’s the standout. You’re looking at a solid 8ft of groundswell rolling in from the NNW, and it’s got some serious grunt with a combined energy reading of 1368 and a period of 11 seconds. That’s proper power. The wind is going light and cross-off from the east, which is going to leave the faces as clean as a whistle. This is expert territory, though, with that size and a long-period groundswell – it’ll be connecting perfectly on that point, but you need to know what you’re doing. The water is currently sitting at 57°F, which is about average for this time of year, no real surprise there.
Thursday, forget it. Strong winds from the west are going to ruin the 4ft to 4ft windswell, leaving it lumpy and choppy. Not worth paddling out.
Now, Friday the 4th of September morning has potential, but it’s a tricky one. We’ve got a bigger 8ft NNW groundswell with a very long 12-second period, and the combined energy is huge at 1799. The wind is cross-off from the SSW, which is excellent for shape. The catch? That period is so long it might just be a bit too straight for the point, and the forecast has it down as marginal due to tide. It’s certainly one to watch for experts only if the tide co-operates, but don’t be surprised if it’s a bit fat. The afternoon is a write-off: 12ft and a near-gale from the west. That’s blown out and dangerous.
The weekend is a complete mess. Saturday and Sunday are a write-off with onshore winds and appalling conditions. That 10ft to 3ft swell is all wind-chopped junk.
We then hit a flat spell for a few days. Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th are a no-go. The swell drops right off, and when it bumps back up on the 8th, it’s with a 34 mph onshore gale and 12ft of onshore slop. Don’t even think about it.
The following week is grim. There’s a tiny window on Friday the 11th of September morning with offshore winds from the SSE, but the swell is a pathetic 3ft – it’s surfable but absolutely ordinary. The combined energy is only 60, which tells you there’s nothing behind it.
For the second week, things look pretty bleak. There are a couple of days in the middle of the week, around the 15th and 16th of September, where the swell tries to build back to 6ft from the WNW with a decent 11-second period. But the wind is messy, either cross-off or cross-onshore, and the conditions are rated as marginal at best. It’s a wait-and-see situation, but nothing to get excited about compared to that Wednesday afternoon we had.
So, to wrap it up: the one and only call is Wednesday the 2nd of September afternoon at Thurso East. It’s your best chance, and it’s a beauty.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 16°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Wed afternoon, near gales from the W by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Mon night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the W on Sat morning, light winds from the S by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NNW 10 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 | N 9 | N 9 | W 6 | W 12 | W 12 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 6 | W 7 | W 10 | W 12 | W 13 | WNW 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
998 | 1322 | 634 | 256 | 130 | 82 | 1768 | 3481 | 3520 | 1621 | 1042 | 288 | 95 | 159 | 195 | 72 | 184 | 424 | 544 | 3668 | 1559 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | on |
High Tide | 12:25PM4.57m | 00:38AM4.69m | 1:11PM4.38m | 1:32AM4.40m | 2:10PM4.17m | 2:47AM4.12m | 3:31PM4.04m | 4:29AM4.01m | 5:06PM4.09m | 6:11AM4.14m | 6:28PM4.33m | 7:23AM4.42m | 7:29PM4.65m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:34PM1.76m | 7:04AM1.70m | 7:23PM1.99m | 7:57AM2.02m | 8:29PM2.21m | 9:12AM2.31m | 10:04PM2.29m | 10:53AM2.41m | 11:44PM2.10m | 12:19PM2.25m | 00:56AM1.73m | 1:20PM1.99m | 1:50AM1.36m | ||||||||
6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
— | 8:12 | — | — | 8:09 | — | — | 8:07 | — | — | 8:04 | — | — | 8:00 | — | — | 7:58 | — | — | 7:54 | — | |
mm | — | — | 7 | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 9 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 11 |
Temp °C | 11 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
Feels °C | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 4 | -1 | 0 | 3 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 10 | NNW 11 | NNW 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | N 8 | — | — | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 11 | W 10 | SE 8 | W 10 | W 12 | SSE 7 | SE 8 |
998 | 1322 | 634 | 256 | 127 | 68 | 31 | 10 | — | — | 1042 | 288 | 95 | 159 | 195 | 29 | 10 | 424 | 544 | 18 | 3 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | ESE 5 | — | W 10 | — | — | — | — | — | N 10 | NW 8 | NNE 10 | SE 7 | SE 8 | N 8 | ESE 7 | WNW 8 | — | — |
102 | 43 | 18 | 2 | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | 17 | 39 | 31 | 16 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 7 | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | N 12 | N 11 | — | — | E 5 | — | — | — | — | — | N 7 | NNE 9 | NW 7 | NNE 9 | N 8 | W 15 | SE 4 | — | — | — |
— | 3 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 28 | 9 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SE 4 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 12 | W 12 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | — | — | SSE 3 | SE 3 | SSE 3 | W 6 | W 7 | SSW 4 | S 5 | W 13 | WNW 11 |
— | — | 17 | 154 | 130 | 82 | 1768 | 3481 | 3520 | 1621 | — | — | 8 | 6 | 4 | 72 | 184 | 24 | 112 | 3668 | 1559 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 26 | 0 | 42 | 427 | 2 | 1 | 673 | 673 | 769 | 423 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 178 | 754 | 1265 | 805 |
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.










