Beach forecast for San Francisco
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (CST) · Nayarit, Mexico Today, Wed, Oct 28 · CST- Swimming
- Calm · 3.0 ft
- Water
- 86 °F · very warm
- Max UV
- 4 · SPF 30
- Low tide
- 3:29 am and 4:48 pm
Today, Wednesday, October 28, it's a fair beach day in San Francisco (5/10). The best hours are from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm: beach weather, little wind, water at 87 °F and low tide at 4:48 pm, though with clouds and a chance of rain. The best day this week is Thursday, October 29, at 9/10.
Beach forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best hours | Swimming | Water | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 5Fair beach day | 4:00–6:00 pm | Calm · 3.0 ft | 86 °F | 4 |
| Thu 29 | 9Perfect beach day | 8:00 am–1:00 pm4:00–6:00 pm | Calm · 3.6 ft | 87 °F | 9 |
| Fri 30 | 6Fair beach day | 1:00–6:00 pm | Use care · 2.8 ft | 87 °F | 8 |
| Sat 31 | 7Good beach day | 2:00–6:00 pm8:00 am–12:00 pm | Use care · 2.7 ft | 87 °F | 9 |
| Sun 1 | 6Fair beach day | 8:00 am–1:00 pm4:00–6:00 pm | Use care · 2.8 ft | 87 °F | 9 |
| Mon 2 | 8Good beach day | 1:00–6:00 pm9:00 am–12:00 pm | Use care · 2.4 ft | 87 °F | — |
| Tue 3 | 8Good beach day | 8:00 am–1:00 pm2:00–4:00 pm | Calm · 2.6 ft | 87 °F | — |
Each rating comes from sun, temperature, rain, wind, waves, UV, water temperature and, where there is one, the tide.
Today in detail
1 good hour- Feels like 92 °F: hot
- Onshore breeze (6 mph)
- Water at 87 °F (very warm)
- Low tide at 4:48 pm: more sand
- Cloudy (100% cloud cover)
- 55% chance of rain
Thunderstorms during beach hours: get out of the water and off the sand as soon as you hear thunder.
Today, hour by hour
- Swimming Calm · 3.0 ft
3.0 ft waves: calm for swimming. Moderate rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
- Water 86 °F
Very warm: barely refreshing.
- Sun & sunscreen UV 4 · SPF 30
Max UV 4 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen, reapplied every 2 hours.
- Wind 7 mph
Offshore breeze (7 mph).
- Tide & sand 3:29 am
Low tide at 3:29 am and 4:48 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide at 9:44 am and 11:13 pm.
The best window, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, brings beach weather, little wind, water at 87 °F and low tide at 4:48 pm, though with clouds and a chance of rain.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 am | 0 | Showers | 87 °F | 4 mph | 2.3 ft | 0 |
| 9:00 am | 0 | Showers | 88 °F | 3 mph | 2.3 ft | 0 |
| 10:00 am | 0 | Light showers | 88 °F | 4 mph | 2.4 ft | 1 |
| 11:00 am | 0 | Light showers | 87 °F | 6 mph | 2.4 ft | 1 |
| 12:00 pm | 2 | Light showers | 86 °F | 7 mph | 2.4 ft | 2 |
| 1:00 pm | 2 | Drizzle | 88 °F | 7 mph | 2.5 ft | 3 |
| 2:00 pm | 2 | Drizzle | 90 °F | 5 mph | 2.6 ft | 4 |
| 3:00 pm | 5 | Drizzle | 92 °F | 4 mph | 2.6 ft | 3 |
| 4:00 pm | 6 | Overcast | 92 °F | 3 mph | 2.8 ft | 1 |
| 5:00 pm | 7 | Overcast | 90 °F | 6 mph | 3.0 ft | 0 |
Beach hours only: from one hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset.
Beaches near San Francisco
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Playa San Francisco (San Pancho) 0.2 mi · NW
- Playa Malpaso 1.1 mi · SW
- Caves Beach 1.7 mi · SW
- Playa Sayulita Norte (North Beach) 2.4 mi · SW
- Parking
- Playa de Barro 2.6 mi · NE
- Playa los Muertos 3.0 mi · SW
- Parking
- Playa Monterrey 3.0 mi · NE
- Playa Carricitos 3.5 mi · SW
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 San Francisco
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 0 of 3, warmth 3.5 of 4, calm sea 1 of 1, water 1 of 1 and tide 1 of 1; minus rain 0.3; short window: the rating keeps 85%.
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 San Francisco
Is it a beach day in San Francisco today?
A fair beach day: 5/10. Best from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, with beach weather, little wind, water at 87 °F and low tide at 4:48 pm, though with clouds and a chance of rain.
What are the swimming conditions in San Francisco today?
3.0 ft waves: calm for swimming. Moderate rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
How warm is the water in San Francisco?
About 86 °F today: very warm. That's the sea surface temperature offshore; it can differ a little at the shoreline.
How much sun protection do I need in San Francisco today?
UV reaches 4 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
When is low tide in San Francisco?
Today low tide is at 3:29 am and 4:48 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide is at 9:44 am and 11:13 pm.
What about tomorrow? Will it be a beach day in San Francisco?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: a perfect beach day (9/10), best from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.
What beaches are near San Francisco?
Playa San Francisco (San Pancho) (0.2 mi), Playa Malpaso (1.1 mi), Caves Beach (1.7 mi), Playa Sayulita Norte (North Beach) (2.4 mi) and Playa de Barro (2.6 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 San Francisco 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 Puerto Vallarta (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