Beach forecast for Gulf Shores
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (CDT) · Alabama, United States Today, Wed, Oct 28 · CDT- Swimming
- Calm · 1.6 ft
- Water
- 75 °F · nice
- Max UV
- 6 · SPF 30
- Low tide
- 8:38 am
Rip current risk today: moderate · tomorrow: moderate (NWS)
Dangerous rip currents are possible: swim only near a lifeguard and follow the flags. If one pulls you out, swim parallel to the shore.
Today, Wednesday, October 28, it's a perfect beach day in Gulf Shores (9/10). The best hours are from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm: sunshine, pleasant temperatures, little wind and water at 75 °F. 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 | 9Perfect beach day | 11:00 am–4:00 pm | Calm · 1.6 ft | 75 °F | 6 |
| Thu 29 | 9Perfect beach day | 2:00–6:00 pm | Calm · 1.3 ft | 75 °F | 5 |
| Fri 30 | 7Good beach day | 12:00–5:00 pm | Calm · 1.7 ft | 75 °F | 5 |
| Sat 31 | 0Not a beach day | No good window | Calm · 1.9 ft | 75 °F | 4 |
| Sun 1 | 3Poor beach day | 12:00–2:00 pm | Calm · 2.8 ft | 76 °F | 3 |
| Mon 2 | 5Fair beach day | 7:00–11:00 am | Use care · 3.3 ft | 76 °F | — |
| Tue 3 | 6Fair beach day | 8:00 am–1:00 pm2:00–5:00 pm | Use care · 4.5 ft | 76 °F | — |
Each rating comes from sun, temperature, rain, wind, waves, UV, water temperature and, where there is one, the tide.
Today in detail
8 good hours- Sunny
- Feels like 79 °F: pleasant
- Cross-shore breeze (9 mph)
- UV 6 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen
- Water at 75 °F (nice)
- Calm for swimming: 1.6 ft waves; moderate rip current risk (NWS)
Today, hour by hour
- Swimming Calm · 1.6 ft
1.6 ft waves: calm for swimming. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
- Water 75 °F
Nice for swimming.
- Sun & sunscreen UV 6 · SPF 30
Max UV 6 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen, reapplied every 2 hours.
- Wind 9 mph
Cross-shore breeze (9 mph).
- Tide & sand 8:38 am
Low tide at 8:38 am: that's when there's the most sand. High tide at 10:16 pm.
The best window, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, brings sunshine, pleasant temperatures, little wind and water at 75 °F.
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 | 3 | Mainly clear | 55 °F | 6 mph | 1.4 ft | 0 |
| 9:00 am | 5 | Clear sky | 62 °F | 7 mph | 1.4 ft | 1 |
| 10:00 am | 7 | Clear sky | 69 °F | 7 mph | 1.4 ft | 3 |
| 11:00 am | 8 | Clear sky | 75 °F | 8 mph | 1.5 ft | 5 |
| 12:00 pm | 9 | Clear sky | 76 °F | 9 mph | 1.5 ft | 6 |
| 1:00 pm | 9 | Clear sky | 79 °F | 8 mph | 1.6 ft | 6 |
| 2:00 pm | 9 | Clear sky | 79 °F | 7 mph | 1.5 ft | 5 |
| 3:00 pm | 9 | Clear sky | 76 °F | 9 mph | 1.5 ft | 3 |
| 4:00 pm | 8 | Clear sky | 74 °F | 8 mph | 1.4 ft | 1 |
| 5:00 pm | 8 | Clear sky | 75 °F | 3 mph | 1.4 ft | 0 |
Beach hours only: from one hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset.
Beaches near Gulf Shores
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- 6th Street Beach Access 0.0 mi · SE
- Lifeguard
- Parking
- Gulf Shores Public Beach 0.3 mi · W
- Lifeguard
- Restrooms
- Parking
Water quality: check the official beach advisories for Alabama (Coastal Alabama Beach Monitoring Program).
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 Gulf Shores
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 3 of 3, warmth 2.8 of 4, calm sea 1 of 1, water 1 of 1 and tide 1 of 1.
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 Gulf Shores
Is it a beach day in Gulf Shores today?
A perfect beach day: 9/10. Best from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, with sunshine, pleasant temperatures, little wind and water at 75 °F.
What are the swimming conditions in Gulf Shores today?
1.6 ft waves: calm for swimming. Moderate rip current risk from the NWS surf zone forecast. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
How warm is the water in Gulf Shores?
About 75 °F today: nice. That's the sea surface temperature offshore; it can differ a little at the shoreline.
How much sun protection do I need in Gulf Shores today?
UV reaches 6 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
When is low tide in Gulf Shores?
Today low tide is at 8:38 am: that's when there's the most sand. High tide is at 10:16 pm.
What about tomorrow? Will it be a beach day in Gulf Shores?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: a perfect beach day (9/10), best from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
What beaches are near Gulf Shores?
6th Street Beach Access (0.0 mi) and Gulf Shores Public Beach (0.3 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 Gulf Shores 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 Gulf State Park Pier (NOAA) and the sun from astronomy-engine. Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database)