Beach forecast for North Shields
Today, Thursday, October 29, 2026 · local time (GMT+10:30) · South Australia, Australia Today, Thu, Oct 29 · GMT+10:30- Swimming
- Calm · 2.4 ft
- Water
- 67 °F · cool
- Max UV
- 9 · SPF 50
- Low tide
- 10:56 am and 9:03 pm
Today, Thursday, October 29, it's a fair beach day in North Shields (5/10). The best hours are from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm: sunshine, little wind and low tide at 10:56 am, though with cool air. The best day this week is Monday, November 2, at 8/10.
Beach forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best hours | Swimming | Water | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 5Fair beach day | 9:00 am–12:00 pm | Calm · 2.4 ft | 67 °F | 9 |
| Fri 30 | 2Not a beach day | No good window | Calm · 2.5 ft | 67 °F | 8 |
| Sat 31 | 5Fair beach day | 12:00–2:00 pm | Calm · 1.6 ft | 67 °F | 10 |
| Sun 1 | 5Fair beach day | 4:00–7:00 pm11:00 am–1:00 pm | Calm · 1.4 ft | 68 °F | 9 |
| Mon 2 | 8Good beach day | 10:00 am–3:00 pm | Calm · 2.4 ft | 68 °F | 9 |
| Tue 3 | 7Good beach day | 2:00–7:00 pm10:00 am–1:00 pm | Calm · 1.7 ft | 68 °F | — |
| Wed 4 | 2Not a beach day | No good window | Calm · 2.4 ft | 68 °F | — |
Each rating comes from sun, temperature, rain, wind, waves, UV, water temperature and, where there is one, the tide.
Today in detail
- Sunny
- Onshore breeze (12 mph)
- UV 8 (high): SPF 50 sunscreen
- Water at 66 °F (cool)
- Low tide at 10:56 am: more sand
- Feels like 65 °F: a bit cool
Today, hour by hour
- Swimming Calm · 2.4 ft
2.4 ft waves: calm for swimming. Moderate rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
- Water 67 °F
Cool: refreshing on a hot day.
- Sun & sunscreen UV 9 · SPF 50
Max UV 9 (very high): SPF 50 sunscreen, reapplied every 2 hours. Seek shade 12:00–2:00 pm (very high UV).
- Wind 12 mph
Onshore breeze (12 mph).
- Tide & sand 9:03 pm
Low tide at 10:56 am and 9:03 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide at 3:50 am and 3:54 pm. Coefficient 95 (spring tides): little sand left at high tide.
The best window, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, brings sunshine, little wind and low tide at 10:56 am, though with cool air.
We don't have data on jellyfish, sargassum or beach closures: ask the lifeguard or check with the local beach authority.
Today, hour by hour
| Time | Rating | Sky | Feels like | Wind | Waves | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 am | 3 | Clear sky | 55 °F | 8 mph | 2.2 ft | 0 |
| 8:00 am | 3 | Clear sky | 57 °F | 9 mph | 2.2 ft | 1 |
| 9:00 am | 5 | Clear sky | 59 °F | 10 mph | 2.3 ft | 3 |
| 10:00 am | 5 | Clear sky | 62 °F | 11 mph | 2.4 ft | 6 |
| 11:00 am | 6 | Mainly clear | 65 °F | 12 mph | 2.4 ft | 8 |
| 12:00 pm | 3 | Partly cloudy | 67 °F | 12 mph | 2.6 ft | 9 |
| 1:00 pm | 3 | Overcast | 68 °F | 11 mph | 2.6 ft | 9 |
| 2:00 pm | 3 | Overcast | 68 °F | 11 mph | 2.6 ft | 7 |
| 3:00 pm | 2 | Mainly clear | 67 °F | 11 mph | 2.7 ft | 5 |
| 4:00 pm | 3 | Clear sky | 65 °F | 11 mph | 2.7 ft | 3 |
| 5:00 pm | 2 | Clear sky | 63 °F | 10 mph | 2.7 ft | 2 |
| 6:00 pm | 2 | Clear sky | 62 °F | 9 mph | 2.7 ft | 0 |
Beach hours only: from one hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset.
Beaches near North Shields
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Squeaky Beach 4.9 mi · SE
- Homestead Beach 5.1 mi · SE
- Cemetery Beach 6.1 mi · SE
Named beaches within 6.2 mi, nearest first. Amenities from OpenStreetMap: some may be missing or out of date. View on OpenStreetMap · Add or fix on OpenStreetMap
Beaches and amenities: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Webcams near North Shields
Webcams provided by windy.com — add a webcam
How we rate a beach day
We rate every beach hour from 0 to 10 with simple, fixed rules:
- Adds: sunshine (up to 3 points, fewer with more clouds), warmth (up to 4, from the feels-like temperature; ideal between 81 °F and 91 °F), a calm sea (1), water at 70 °F or warmer (1; from 64 °F, half) and low or mid tide (1: more sand). Anything without data is left out and the rest is scaled to 10.
- Takes away: cold (feels-like below 64 °F, 1 to 4 points), rain (half a point if likely, up to 6 if it rains; thunderstorms, 8), wind from force 4, about 12 mph (1 to 6 points; half a point more if offshore, which blows inflatables out to sea, or onshore, which churns the water), waves (1 to swim with care, 4 if dangerous, 1 more for high rip current risk), very high UV (half a point; extreme, 1), water below 59 °F (1) and spring high tides (1: little sand left).
- Swimming: calm, use care (waves from 2.6 ft, or long swell) or dangerous (from 6.6 ft, or 4.9 ft with a long period), based on how much of the wave reaches this shore given the way it faces. In the U.S., today's and tomorrow's rip current risk comes from the National Weather Service surf zone forecast when it issues one; otherwise we estimate it from the waves.
- Best windows: runs of 2 to 5 hours rated 4 or more and close to the best hour, at least one hour apart.
- Day rating: the average of the best window; a 2-hour window keeps 85% of it and a 3-hour window 95%.
Today, in the best window: sun 2.7 of 3, warmth 0.3 of 4, calm sea 1 of 1, water 0.5 of 1 and tide 1 of 1; minus cold 0.7; short window: the rating keeps 95%.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: weather changes and every beach is different. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
Questions about the beach in North Shields
Is it a beach day in North Shields today?
A fair beach day: 5/10. Best from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, with sunshine, little wind and low tide at 10:56 am, though with cool air.
What are the swimming conditions in North Shields today?
2.4 ft waves: calm for swimming. Moderate rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
How warm is the water in North Shields?
About 67 °F today: cool. That's the sea surface temperature offshore; it can differ a little at the shoreline.
How much sun protection do I need in North Shields today?
UV reaches 9 (very high): SPF 50 sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat, and seek shade from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.
When is low tide in North Shields?
Today low tide is at 10:56 am and 9:03 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide is at 3:50 am and 3:54 pm. Coefficient 95 (spring tides): little sand left at high tide.
What about tomorrow? Will it be a beach day in North Shields?
Tomorrow, Friday, October 30: not a beach day (2/10).
What beaches are near North Shields?
Squeaky Beach (4.9 mi), Homestead Beach (5.1 mi) and Cemetery Beach (6.1 mi). See below for amenities and water quality.
Are there jellyfish or sargassum today?
We don't know: there's no open data on jellyfish, sargassum or closures for each beach. Ask the lifeguard, check the flags or the local beach authority's website.
How is the rating worked out?
From the hourly forecast: sun and clouds, feels-like temperature, rain, wind (and whether it blows onshore or offshore), waves and their period, UV, water temperature and, where there is one, the tide. Each factor adds or takes away a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10.
More about North Shields today
Learn more
Our own calculation, using the Open-Meteo forecast (ECMWF, NOAA GFS, Météo-France, Copernicus Marine and CAMS, CC BY 4.0), the tide from Port Lincoln (TICON-4) and the sun from astronomy-engine. Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database). Source: Hart-Davis, M., Dettmering, D., Seitz, F. (2025), TICON-4: TIdal CONstants based on GESLA-4 sea-level records, SEANOE, https://doi.org/10.17882/109129. Licensed CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Modified: see https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database#modifications-to-source-data