Beach forecast for San Clemente
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (PDT) · California, United States Today, Wed, Oct 28 · PDT- Swimming
- Use care · 2.8 ft
- Water
- 74 °F · nice
- Max UV
- 5 · SPF 30
- Low tide
- 3:54 am and 5:44 pm
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 fair beach day in San Clemente (5/10). The best hours are from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm: sunshine, little wind, water at 74 °F and low tide at 5:44 pm, though with some waves. The best day this week is Tuesday, November 3, at 5/10.
Beach forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best hours | Swimming | Water | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 5Fair beach day | 4:00–6:00 pm10:00 am–12:00 pm | Use care · 2.8 ft | 74 °F | 5 |
| Thu 29 | 3Poor beach day | No good window | Use care · 2.8 ft | 74 °F | 2 |
| Fri 30 | 3Poor beach day | 4:00–6:00 pm | Use care · 3.1 ft | 74 °F | 2 |
| Sat 31 | 1Not a beach day | No good window | Use care · 3.4 ft | 74 °F | 3 |
| Sun 1 | 0Not a beach day | No good window | Dangerous · 5.4 ft | 74 °F | 3 |
| Mon 2 | 5Fair beach day | 9:00 am–2:00 pm | Use care · 4.4 ft | 74 °F | — |
| Tue 3 | 5Fair beach day | 10:00 am–3:00 pm | Use care · 3.1 ft | 74 °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- Sunny
- Feels like 72 °F: mild
- Onshore breeze (7 mph)
- Water at 74 °F (nice)
- Low tide at 5:44 pm: more sand
- Swim with care: 2.8 ft waves every 12 s; moderate rip current risk (NWS)
Today, hour by hour
- Swimming Use care · 2.8 ft
2.8 ft waves every 12 s: swim with care and stay where you can stand. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
- Water 74 °F
Nice for swimming.
- Sun & sunscreen UV 5 · SPF 30
Max UV 5 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen, reapplied every 2 hours.
- Wind 8 mph
Onshore breeze (8 mph).
- Tide & sand 5:44 pm
Low tide at 3:54 am and 5:44 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide at 10:15 am.
The best window, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, brings sunshine, little wind, water at 74 °F and low tide at 5:44 pm, though with some waves. 10:00 am to 12:00 pm can also work, with sunshine, little wind and water at 73 °F, though with some waves.
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 | Mainly clear | 59 °F | 4 mph | 2.8 ft | 0 |
| 9:00 am | 4 | Mainly clear | 65 °F | 5 mph | 2.8 ft | 1 |
| 10:00 am | 5 | Clear sky | 71 °F | 3 mph | 2.8 ft | 2 |
| 11:00 am | 5 | Clear sky | 72 °F | 6 mph | 2.8 ft | 4 |
| 12:00 pm | 4 | Mainly clear | 73 °F | 6 mph | 2.8 ft | 4 |
| 1:00 pm | 4 | Partly cloudy | 75 °F | 7 mph | 2.8 ft | 5 |
| 2:00 pm | 3 | Overcast | 73 °F | 8 mph | 2.8 ft | 4 |
| 3:00 pm | 4 | Partly cloudy | 73 °F | 8 mph | 2.8 ft | 2 |
| 4:00 pm | 5 | Mainly clear | 72 °F | 7 mph | 2.8 ft | 1 |
| 5:00 pm | 6 | Clear sky | 70 °F | 6 mph | 2.8 ft | 0 |
Beach hours only: from one hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset.
Beaches near San Clemente
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- The Pier Beach 0.7 mi · SW
- Lifeguard
- Restrooms
- Showers
- Parking
- T Street Beach 0.8 mi · S
- Lifeguard
- Restrooms
- Showers
- Parking
- El Portal 0.9 mi · W
- North Beach 1.2 mi · W
- Restrooms
- Showers
- Playa Las Palmeras 2.4 mi · S
- San Mateo Point 2.8 mi · S
- Restrooms
- Poche Beach 2.9 mi · NW
- Restrooms
- Parking
- Church 3.9 mi · SE
- Parking
- Partial wheelchair access
Water quality: check the official beach advisories for California (California State Water Resources Control Board).
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 Clemente
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 2.5 of 3, warmth 2 of 4, calm sea 0 of 1, water 1 of 1 and tide 1 of 1; minus waves 1; 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 Clemente
Is it a beach day in San Clemente today?
A fair beach day: 5/10. Best from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, with sunshine, little wind, water at 74 °F and low tide at 5:44 pm, though with some waves.
What are the swimming conditions in San Clemente today?
2.8 ft waves every 12 s: swim with care and stay where you can stand. Moderate rip current risk from the NWS surf zone forecast. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
How warm is the water in San Clemente?
About 74 °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 San Clemente today?
UV reaches 5 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
When is low tide in San Clemente?
Today low tide is at 3:54 am and 5:44 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide is at 10:15 am.
What about tomorrow? Will it be a beach day in San Clemente?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: a poor beach day (3/10).
What beaches are near San Clemente?
The Pier Beach (0.7 mi), T Street Beach (0.8 mi), El Portal (0.9 mi), North Beach (1.2 mi) and Playa Las Palmeras (2.4 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 Clemente 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 San Clemente (NOAA) and the sun from astronomy-engine. Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database)