Beach forecast for Panama City Beach
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (CDT) · Florida, United States Today, Wed, Oct 28 · CDT- Swimming
- Calm · 0.9 ft
- Water
- 76 °F · warm
- Max UV
- 6 · SPF 50
- Low tide
- 10:31 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 good beach day in Panama City Beach (8/10). The best hours are from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm: sunshine, water at 76 °F and low tide at 10:31 am, though with light offshore wind. The best day this week is Tuesday, November 3, at 9/10.
Beach forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best hours | Swimming | Water | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 8Good beach day | 11:00 am–4:00 pm | Calm · 0.9 ft | 76 °F | 6 |
| Thu 29 | 8Good beach day | 11:00 am–4:00 pm8:00–10:00 am | Calm · 0.6 ft | 76 °F | 6 |
| Fri 30 | 7Good beach day | 12:00–5:00 pm | Calm · 0.9 ft | 76 °F | 5 |
| Sat 31 | 8Good beach day | 9:00 am–1:00 pm | Calm · 1.1 ft | 76 °F | 5 |
| Sun 1 | 2Not a beach day | No good window | Calm · 2.0 ft | 76 °F | 4 |
| Mon 2 | 6Fair beach day | 11:00 am–4:00 pm | Calm · 2.1 ft | 76 °F | — |
| Tue 3 | 9Perfect beach day | 11:00 am–4:00 pm | Calm · 2.7 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
7 good hours- Sunny
- Feels like 74 °F: mild
- UV 6 (high): SPF 50 sunscreen
- Water at 76 °F (warm)
- Low tide at 10:31 am: more sand
- Light offshore wind (12 mph): it blows floats and inflatables out to sea
Today, hour by hour
- Swimming Calm · 0.9 ft
0.9 ft waves: calm for swimming. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
- Water 76 °F
Warm: very pleasant.
- Sun & sunscreen UV 6 · SPF 50
Max UV 6 (high): SPF 50 sunscreen, reapplied every 2 hours.
- Wind 12 mph
Offshore breeze (12 mph). Watch floats and inflatables: offshore wind carries them out to sea.
- Tide & sand 10:31 am
Low tide at 10:31 am: that's when there's the most sand.
The best window, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, brings sunshine, water at 76 °F and low tide at 10:31 am, though with light offshore wind.
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 | Partly cloudy | 61 °F | 5 mph | 0.9 ft | 1 |
| 9:00 am | 4 | Mainly clear | 64 °F | 9 mph | 0.9 ft | 2 |
| 10:00 am | 7 | Mainly clear | 68 °F | 9 mph | 0.9 ft | 3 |
| 11:00 am | 8 | Clear sky | 73 °F | 10 mph | 0.9 ft | 5 |
| 12:00 pm | 8 | Clear sky | 73 °F | 11 mph | 0.9 ft | 6 |
| 1:00 pm | 8 | Clear sky | 74 °F | 12 mph | 0.9 ft | 6 |
| 2:00 pm | 8 | Clear sky | 74 °F | 11 mph | 0.9 ft | 5 |
| 3:00 pm | 8 | Clear sky | 74 °F | 11 mph | 0.9 ft | 3 |
| 4:00 pm | 8 | Clear sky | 72 °F | 10 mph | 0.9 ft | 1 |
Beach hours only: from one hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset.
Beaches near Panama City Beach
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Panama City Beaches 4.7 mi · NW
- Restrooms
- Parking
- Delwood Beach 5.9 mi · SE
Water quality: check the official beach advisories for Florida (Florida Healthy Beaches 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 Panama City Beach
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 of 4, calm sea 1 of 1, water 1 of 1 and tide 1 of 1; minus wind 0.5.
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 Panama City Beach
Is it a beach day in Panama City Beach today?
A good beach day: 8/10. Best from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, with sunshine, water at 76 °F and low tide at 10:31 am, though with light offshore wind.
What are the swimming conditions in Panama City Beach today?
0.9 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 Panama City Beach?
About 76 °F today: warm. That's the sea surface temperature offshore; it can differ a little at the shoreline.
How much sun protection do I need in Panama City Beach today?
UV reaches 6 (high): SPF 50 sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
When is low tide in Panama City Beach?
Today low tide is at 10:31 am: that's when there's the most sand.
What about tomorrow? Will it be a beach day in Panama City Beach?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: a good beach day (8/10), best from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
What beaches are near Panama City Beach?
Panama City Beaches (4.7 mi) and Delwood Beach (5.9 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 Panama City Beach 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 Alligator Bayou (NOAA) and the sun from astronomy-engine. Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database)