Beach forecast for Cape Charles
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (EDT) · Virginia, United States Today, Wed, Oct 28 · EDT- Swimming
- Calm · 1.2 ft
- Water
- 63 °F · cold
- Max UV
- 5 · SPF 30
- Low tide
- 4:50 am and 5:45 pm
Today, Wednesday, October 28, it's a poor beach day in Cape Charles (4/10). The best hours are from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm: sunshine, little wind and a calm sea, though with cool air. The best day this week is Thursday, October 29, at 7/10.
Beach forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best hours | Swimming | Water | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 4Poor beach day | 1:00–4:00 pm | Calm · 1.2 ft | 63 °F | 5 |
| Thu 29 | 7Good beach day | 12:00–5:00 pm | Calm · 0.7 ft | 63 °F | 4 |
| Fri 30 | 6Fair beach day | 1:00–6:00 pm | Calm · 0.7 ft | 64 °F | 4 |
| Sat 31 | 0Not a beach day | No good window | Calm · 1.8 ft | 63 °F | 3 |
| Sun 1 | 3Poor beach day | No good window | Calm · 0.7 ft | 63 °F | 4 |
| Mon 2 | 6Fair beach day | 10:00 am–3:00 pm | Calm · 0.5 ft | 63 °F | — |
| Tue 3 | 5Fair beach day | 2:00–5:00 pm10:00 am–1:00 pm | Calm · 0.7 ft | 64 °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
- Cross-shore breeze (12 mph)
- Calm for swimming: 1.2 ft waves
- UV 5 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen
- Feels like 65 °F: a bit cool
- Water at 63 °F (cold)
Today, hour by hour
- Swimming Calm · 1.2 ft
1.2 ft waves: calm for swimming. Low rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
- Water 63 °F
Cold: ease in slowly.
- Sun & sunscreen UV 5 · SPF 30
Max UV 5 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen, reapplied every 2 hours.
- Wind 15 mph
Moderate cross-shore wind (15 mph).
- Tide & sand 4:50 am
Low tide at 4:50 am and 5:45 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide at 11:06 am and 11:26 pm.
The best window, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, brings sunshine, little wind and a calm sea, though with cool air.
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 | 2 | Clear sky | 54 °F | 5 mph | 1.1 ft | 0 |
| 9:00 am | 2 | Clear sky | 59 °F | 5 mph | 1.1 ft | 1 |
| 10:00 am | 1 | Mainly clear | 59 °F | 11 mph | 1.2 ft | 2 |
| 11:00 am | 1 | Mainly clear | 61 °F | 15 mph | 1.2 ft | 3 |
| 12:00 pm | 1 | Mainly clear | 62 °F | 13 mph | 1.2 ft | 4 |
| 1:00 pm | 4 | Mainly clear | 64 °F | 12 mph | 1.2 ft | 5 |
| 2:00 pm | 5 | Mainly clear | 65 °F | 12 mph | 1.2 ft | 4 |
| 3:00 pm | 4 | Partly cloudy | 65 °F | 12 mph | 1.2 ft | 2 |
| 4:00 pm | 3 | Overcast | 64 °F | 11 mph | 1.2 ft | 1 |
| 5:00 pm | 1 | Overcast | 64 °F | 10 mph | 1.2 ft | 0 |
Beach hours only: from one hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset.
Beaches near Cape Charles
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Tankards Beach 5.3 mi · N
- Wilkins Beach 6.0 mi · N
Water quality: check the official beach advisories for Virginia (Virginia Department of Health).
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 Cape Charles
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 1.7 of 3, warmth 1 of 4, calm sea 1 of 1, water 0 of 1 and tide 0.7 of 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 Cape Charles
Is it a beach day in Cape Charles today?
A poor beach day: 4/10. Best from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, with sunshine, little wind and a calm sea, though with cool air.
What are the swimming conditions in Cape Charles today?
1.2 ft waves: calm for swimming. Low rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
How warm is the water in Cape Charles?
About 63 °F today: cold. That's the sea surface temperature offshore; it can differ a little at the shoreline.
How much sun protection do I need in Cape Charles today?
UV reaches 5 (moderate): SPF 30 sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat.
When is low tide in Cape Charles?
Today low tide is at 4:50 am and 5:45 pm: that's when there's the most sand. High tide is at 11:06 am and 11:26 pm.
What about tomorrow? Will it be a beach day in Cape Charles?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: a good beach day (7/10), best from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
What beaches are near Cape Charles?
Tankards Beach (5.3 mi) and Wilkins Beach (6.0 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 Cape Charles 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 Cape Charles Harbor (NOAA) and the sun from astronomy-engine. Slackwater database (https://github.com/openwatersio/slackwater-database)