Wrightsville Beach Surf Outlook: Jan 30–Feb 6, 2026

Wrightsville Beach Surf Outlook: Jan 30–Feb 6, 2026
Issued 6:45 AM Jan 30. Note: Forecast based on early Friday morning data. While broad patterns usually hold, forecast shifts occur—verify conditions before heading out. By Mark Willis

• Today: Minor Surf
• Weekend: Stronger Windswell; Snow; Improving Conditions Sunday but Frigid
• Early Week: Slowly Fading but Potentially Still Fun with Favorable Winds
• Mid-Late Week: Trending Smaller; Watching Late Wed/Thu Frontal System

WB Surf Forecast Table
Quality Key: Green=Fair/Good, Yellow=Marginal, Red=Poor/Flat

Note: We are showing “+/-” for Sunday through Tuesday given the uncertainty associated with the low pressure developing and moving offshore. Monitor buoys and cameras for real time conditions. Also, all surf heights are face heights where 2’ is about knee high, 3’ = waist high, 4’=chest high.

Today through Sunday (1/30–2/1): Another Windswell; Bitter Cold Cleanup Sunday
Minor windswell/swell mix will produce mostly shin-knee high surf today. Things change for the weekend as the much anticipated winter storm impacts our area. Low pressure will develop offshore as strong, cold high pressure builds in, setting up building ENE windswell on Saturday but with mostly blown out conditions.

Bitter cold weather and snow Saturday night into early Sunday morning will meet developing NW winds and cleaning up, but frigid surf (wind chill near 0°F early Sunday). Winds will be gusty making things challenging but there should be surf in the thigh-waist-chest high zone with clean faces overall. There is some potential for bigger sets especially early dependent on how the low pressure offshore sets up. However, watch for early high tide problems at many spots. Mercers Pier water temp is around 47F as of 6am Friday, but will likely drop several degrees with this cold spell. In fact, water temperatures could reach the lowest they have been in several years by early week.

Note: Hazardous travel expected this weekend. Stay advised by monitoring the National Weather Service.

• 1/30: 1–2′ (Shin to Knee High) mix. High 46°F . Light N becoming NE to E winds.
• 1/31: Building to 3–4’+ (Waist to Shoulder high) ENE windswell. Blown out. Strong NE winds, increasing chances for snow. High near 35°F .
• 2/1: 2–4′ (+/-) (Thigh-Waist-Chest high) ENE swell. Gusty NW winds and bitter cold with snow likely on the ground. High 31°F , wind chill in single digits early. Tide Alert: Morning High Tide. Note: Potential for bigger sets but more uncertainty than usual given the dependency on the offshore low.

Total snow forecast for the weekend. Note, this will change some through the weekend so be sure to monitor the latest updates here.

Looking Ahead: Fading but Still Fun Early Week; Trending Smaller

• 2/2 (Monday): Fading ESE swell but still fun. Surf in the 2–3’ (+/-) (thigh to stomach high) zone and clean with diminishing NW/W winds. Size is dependent on the evolution of the low moving offshore Sunday. Tide Alert: Morning High Tide. High 37°F .
• 2/3 (Tuesday): Lingering 1.5–2.5’ (+/-) (knee-thigh occ. waist high) E/ESE swell. Still clean with light NW winds. Again, size is dependent on the evolution of the low pressure. High 43°F .
• 2/4–2/5: 1.5–2.5’ (shin-knee-thigh high). Watching for another frontal system which may lead to a minor amount of windswell and shifting winds. Some room for change in the forecast given the front. Highs in the low 50s.
• 2/6 (Friday): No significant swell events currently expected. Long-range uncertainty remains.

Final Thoughts
Sunday and Monday look like the best windows to surf, but it is going to be bitter cold with potential for a decent amount of snow around the area. Be aware of the morning high tides both days, which may require waiting for the tide to drop to find the best shape.

Water temperature forecast for Wrightsville Beach. The coldest water temps in several years are possible early next week.