Beach forecast for Surf City
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (EDT) · North Carolina, United States Today, Wed, Oct 28 · EDT- Swimming
- Use care · 4.1 ft
- Water
- 68 °F · cool
- Max UV
- 4 · SPF 30
- Low tide
- 2:45 am and 3:51 pm
Rip current risk 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 Surf City (5/10). The best hours are from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm: sunshine, pleasant temperatures and low tide at 3:51 pm, though with light offshore wind and some waves. The best day this week is Friday, October 30, at 6/10.
Beach forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best hours | Swimming | Water | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 5Fair beach day | 1:00–4:00 pm | Use care · 4.1 ft | 68 °F | 4 |
| Thu 29 | 5Fair beach day | 4:00–6:00 pm11:00 am–3:00 pm | Use care · 3.7 ft | 68 °F | 5 |
| Fri 30 | 6Fair beach day | 1:00–6:00 pm | Use care · 3.2 ft | 69 °F | 5 |
| Sat 31 | 1Not a beach day | No good window | Use care · 3.2 ft | 69 °F | 4 |
| Sun 1 | 4Poor beach day | 3:00–5:00 pm | Use care · 3.4 ft | 68 °F | 4 |
| Mon 2 | 0Not a beach day | No good window | Use care · 3.6 ft | 68 °F | — |
| Tue 3 | 5Fair beach day | 9:00 am–1:00 pm3:00–5:00 pm | Use care · 4.6 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
- Mostly sunny
- Feels like 77 °F: pleasant
- UV 4 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen
- Water at 68 °F (cool)
- Low tide at 3:51 pm: more sand
- Light offshore wind (12 mph): it blows floats and inflatables out to sea
Today, hour by hour
- Swimming Use care · 4.1 ft
4.1 ft waves every 7 s: swim with care and stay where you can stand. Low rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
- Water 68 °F
Cool: refreshing on a hot day.
- Sun & sunscreen UV 4 · SPF 30
Max UV 4 (moderate): SPF 30 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 2:45 am
Low tide at 2:45 am and 3:51 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide at 9:24 am and 9:42 pm.
The best window, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, brings sunshine, pleasant temperatures and low tide at 3:51 pm, though with light offshore wind and 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 | Clear sky | 59 °F | 8 mph | 3.6 ft | 0 |
| 9:00 am | 1 | Mainly clear | 61 °F | 10 mph | 3.7 ft | 1 |
| 10:00 am | 0 | Mainly clear | 64 °F | 12 mph | 3.7 ft | 2 |
| 11:00 am | 2 | Mainly clear | 69 °F | 12 mph | 3.8 ft | 3 |
| 12:00 pm | 3 | Light drizzle | 73 °F | 12 mph | 3.9 ft | 4 |
| 1:00 pm | 5 | Light drizzle | 75 °F | 12 mph | 4.0 ft | 4 |
| 2:00 pm | 6 | Light drizzle | 77 °F | 11 mph | 4.1 ft | 4 |
| 3:00 pm | 5 | Light drizzle | 76 °F | 11 mph | 4.1 ft | 3 |
| 4:00 pm | 4 | Light drizzle | 75 °F | 11 mph | 4.3 ft | 1 |
| 5:00 pm | 5 | Light drizzle | 74 °F | 11 mph | 4.3 ft | 0 |
Beach hours only: from one hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset.
Beaches near Surf City
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Stevens Street Public Beach Access 0.6 mi · NE
- Parking
- Sea Haven Beach 4.7 mi · NE
Water quality: check the official beach advisories for North Carolina (N.C. Recreational Water Quality 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 Surf City
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 of 3, warmth 3 of 4, calm sea 0 of 1, water 0.5 of 1 and tide 1 of 1; minus wind 0.3 and waves 1; 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 Surf City
Is it a beach day in Surf City today?
A fair beach day: 5/10. Best from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, with sunshine, pleasant temperatures and low tide at 3:51 pm, though with light offshore wind and some waves.
What are the swimming conditions in Surf City today?
4.1 ft waves every 7 s: swim with care and stay where you can stand. Low rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
How warm is the water in Surf City?
About 68 °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 Surf City today?
UV reaches 4 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
When is low tide in Surf City?
Today low tide is at 2:45 am and 3:51 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide is at 9:24 am and 9:42 pm.
What about tomorrow? Will it be a beach day in Surf City?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: a fair beach day (5/10), best from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
What beaches are near Surf City?
Stevens Street Public Beach Access (0.6 mi) and Sea Haven Beach (4.7 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 Surf City 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 Ocean City Beach (Fishing Pier, NOAA) and the sun from astronomy-engine. Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database)