Rough water today
forecastNo weather alert for Santa Rosa Beach, but the forecast has waves to 4 ft and wind to 18 mph. Fine for a walk, not for a swim.
Rough water today. Sunny, high near 80°. Rain chance peaks at 30% around 6 AM. Driest stretch: all day, but dry isn't calm. Keep out of rough water. Breezy, up to 18 mph.
forecastRain OutlookOpen-Meteo
tap an hourPeak rain chance 30% around 6 AM — plan beach time outside that window.
Tide
0.3 ft · falling ↘
Next low tide
12:24 PM 0.2 ft
T−…
1.9 ft of drop from the 7:54 AM high; the wet sand is widest from about 11:24 AM.
Wind
9 mph
from the S
UV Index
Moderate
easy sunscreen day
Time to Burn
UV 5 · incl. sand glarefor unprotected fair skin (burns easily, tans a little). SPF 30+, reapply every 2 hours and after every swim.
An estimate from the standard erythemal dose model, not a medical limit. Darker skin burns more slowly than this, people vary either way, and sunscreen only helps if you use enough of it and reapply.
Rip Current Riskestimated
todayDangerous currents likely. Knee-deep only, lifeguarded sand only.
Caught in one? Don’t fight it. Swim parallel to the beach until you’re free, then angle back in.
Beach Flag
Red Flag
knee-deep only
estimated · trust the lifeguard
Red Tide
Checking…
asking FWC
Stingers & Biters
modelled, not observedBased on wind, water temperature and humidity. Nobody publishes a live count, so this is what conditions favour today.
Portuguese man o' warUnlikely
The wind has been blowing along or off the beach, which keeps them offshore.
Water Quality
bacteria testingWater here is sampled by the Florida Healthy Beaches Program at the Blue Mountain Beach station (1.5 km from the beach centre). We do not restate the result, because the state publishes it only on its own page and a stale copy here could be wrong about today.
Today’s official resultSource: Florida Department of Health
Sargassum WatchNOAA satellite
seaweed outlookLatest 7-day NOAA satellite composite detects moderate sargassum offshore. Some may drift onto the beach. Offshore satellite estimate only — on-the-ground conditions may differ.
Water by Monthtypical
avg 2021–2024Warmest around August (87°), coolest around January (61°).
surf’s up (gently)
Tides are NOAA predictions (Santa Rosa Beach station 8729210); temps, wind, UV, waves and water temp are live from Open-Meteo; rip current risk from the NWS surf-zone forecast; red tide from FWC sampling. Flag status is estimated from wave height and wind, so always trust the lifeguard’s actual flag over this app.
Beach with care. The National Weather Service has a Rip Current Statement out for Santa Rosa Beach until 12 AM Thursday. Strong rip currents. Stay out of the water unless a lifeguard is on duty. The water at Santa Rosa Beach is 76°F (24°C) today, 4°F warmer than the usual 72°F for November. For swimming it is comfortable for swimming. Waves are 3–4 ft (rough). The air is 75°F, feeling like 82°F, with light 6 mph winds from the S. The UV index reaches 5 (moderate). The National Weather Service rip current risk is high.
The water cools about 2°F by Tue Nov 10.
The week ahead at Santa Rosa Beach, day by day: the sky, the high, the strongest wind and the biggest waves, the UV peak and the daytime chance of rain, and the water temperature. The calmest day for a swim looks like Mon Nov 9.
| Day | Sky | High | Wind | Waves | UV | Rain | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Cloudy | 80°F | 18 mph | 3.7 ft | 5 | 13% | 76°F |
| Thu Nov 5 | Cloudy | 78°F | 7 mph | 1.2 ft | 5 | 12% | 76°F |
| Fri Nov 6 | Rain | 80°F | 10 mph | 0.7 ft | 5 | 2% | 76°F |
| Sat Nov 7 | Cloudy | 73°F | 8 mph | 1 ft | 5 | 0% | 75°F |
| Sun Nov 8 | Cloudy | 71°F | 6 mph | 1 ft | 5 | 1% | 75°F |
| Mon Nov 9 | Cloudy | 67°F | 8 mph | 0.4 ft | 3 | 7% | 74°F |
| Tue Nov 10 | Partly cloudy | 67°F | 11 mph | 0.5 ft | 4 | 10% | 74°F |
High and low tides for the next 7 days, from NOAA’s predictions for tide station 8729210. Heights are in feet above the average low tide. The shell window is the last hour and a quarter of the ebb and the first three-quarters of the flood around the day’s lowest daylight low, when the most sand is bare; the lowest low of the week is marked.
| Day | Tide 1 | Tide 2 | Tide 3 | Tide 4 | Shell window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | High 6:27 AM 1.2 | Low 11:37 AM 0.8 | High 7:11 PM 1.1 | — | 10:22 AM–12:22 PM · best |
| Thu Nov 5 | Low 12:13 AM 0.7 | High 7:53 AM 1.0 | Low 10:56 AM 0.9 | High 7:16 PM 1.3 | 9:41 AM–11:41 AM |
| Fri Nov 6 | Low 1:49 AM 0.5 | High 5:04 PM 1.5 | — | — | — |
| Sat Nov 7 | Low 2:57 AM 0.3 | High 5:48 PM 1.7 | — | — | — |
| Sun Nov 8 | Low 3:55 AM 0.2 | High 6:30 PM 1.9 | — | — | — |
| Mon Nov 9 | Low 4:43 AM 0.1 | High 7:07 PM 2.0 | — | — | — |
| Tue Nov 10 | Low 5:26 AM 0.1 | High 7:44 PM 2.0 | — | — | — |
The average sea temperature at Santa Rosa Beach for each month (2021–2024). The water is warmest in August (87°F) and coolest in January (61°F). It averages 74°F or warmer, comfortable for most swimmers, in May, June, July, August, September, October.
| Month | Water °F | Water °C | For swimming |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61°F | 16°C | Chilly |
| February | 62°F | 16°C | Chilly |
| March | 67°F | 19°C | Chilly |
| April | 70°F | 21°C | Cool |
| May | 78°F | 25°C | Comfortable |
| June | 82°F | 28°C | Warm |
| July | 85°F | 29°C | Warm |
| August | 87°F | 31°C | Very warm |
| September | 86°F | 30°C | Warm |
| October | 78°F | 26°C | Comfortable |
| November (now) | 72°F | 22°C | Cool |
| December | 65°F | 19°C | Chilly |
Rip currents. Today’s National Weather Service rip current risk is high. If a current pulls you away from shore, don’t fight it: swim parallel to the beach until you are out of it, then swim back in. If you can’t, float and wave for help.
Sun. The UV index peaks at 5 today. Wear SPF 30 and reapply every two hours and after swimming.
Red tide. Florida's state sampling (FWC) has flagged nothing near Santa Rosa Beach this week. Red tide can make you cough and sting your eyes near the water.
Seaweed. The NOAA satellite shows moderate sargassum offshore.
Water quality. Water at Santa Rosa Beach is sampled by the Florida Healthy Beaches Program at the Blue Mountain Beach station. Official sampling results →
Dogs. Whether dogs are allowed here depends on which part of the beach you are on.
Weather alerts in effect: Rip Current Statement.
Swim near a lifeguard when one is on duty, and follow the beach flags and posted signs. The Santa Rosa Beach rules page covers dogs, alcohol, fires and more.
Under 1 ft is calm, good for small children and floating. 1–2 ft is small, fine for most swimmers. 2–4 ft is moderate: fun for bodyboarding, harder for weak swimmers. 4–6 ft is rough, and over 6 ft is dangerous for swimming. Today at Santa Rosa Beach it’s rough.
Under 8 mph is light and pleasant. 8–15 mph is breezy, good for kites and cooler on a hot day. 15–25 mph blows sand and whips up the water. Over 25 mph most people pack up. Today at Santa Rosa Beach it’s light.
0–2 is low, 3–5 moderate, 6–7 high, 8–10 very high and 11 or more extreme. At 8 or more, fair skin can burn in under 20 minutes. The UV index is highest around midday even when it is cloudy.
Under 60°F is cold and most people want a wetsuit. 68–73°F is cool but swimmable. 74–79°F feels comfortable, and 80°F or more feels warm.
76°F (24°C), 4°F warmer than the usual 72°F for November.
At 76°F the water is comfortable for swimming. Waves are 3–4 ft, which is rough. The rip current risk is high.
3–4 ft, which is rough. The wind is 6 mph from the S.
High tide is at 6:27 AM and 7:11 PM, and low tide is at 11:37 AM. Times are NOAA predictions.
The UV index peaks at 5 (moderate). Wear SPF 30 and reapply every two hours and after swimming.
The National Weather Service rates the rip current risk at Santa Rosa Beach high today. If a current pulls you out, swim parallel to the shore until you are out of it, then swim back in.
Florida's state sampling (FWC) has flagged nothing near Santa Rosa Beach this week.
The NOAA satellite shows moderate sargassum offshore.
Highs run 67–80°F over the next 7 days. No day has a strong chance of rain. The calmest day for a swim looks like Mon Nov 9.
The water at Santa Rosa Beach averages about 72°F (22°C) in November.
August is the warmest month, averaging 87°F. January is the coolest, at 61°F.
The water averages 74°F or warmer from May, June, July, August, September and October. August is the warmest, at 87°F.
The usual water temperature in November at the nearest beaches. Tap one for its live conditions.
| Grayton Beach conditions | 3 mi | 72°F |
|---|---|---|
| 30A conditions | 4 mi | 72°F |
| Seaside conditions | 5 mi | 72°F |
| Alys Beach conditions | 12 mi | 72°F |
| Rosemary Beach conditions | 13 mi | 72°F |
| Destin conditions | 17 mi | 72°F |
More for Santa Rosa Beach: parking · sunset time tonight · things to do · US water temperatures today →