Rough water today
forecastNo weather alert for West Palm Beach, but the forecast has waves to 7 ft and wind to 18 mph. Fine for a walk, not for a swim.
Rough water today. Partly cloudy, high near 82°. It might rain around 6 AM, 21% chance. Driest stretch: all day, but dry isn't calm. Keep out of rough water. Breezy, up to 18 mph.
forecastRain OutlookOpen-Meteo
tap an hourTop rain chance is just 21%, but dry doesn't mean calm today. See the surf and wind above.
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
12 mph
from the NE
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.
Strongest 1 PM to 3 PM · peaks at UV 6
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
Water Quality
bacteria testingWater here is sampled by the Florida Healthy Beaches Program at the Phil Foster Park station (0.4 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 (88°), coolest around January (77°).
surf’s up (gently)
Tides are NOAA predictions (West Palm Beach station 8722588); 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.
Rough water today. No weather alert for West Palm Beach, but the forecast has waves to 7 ft and wind to 18 mph. Fine for a walk, not for a swim. The water at West Palm Beach is 84°F (29°C) today, about normal for October. For swimming it is warm. Waves are 7–8 ft (very rough). The air is 78°F, feeling like 81°F, with windy 16 mph winds from the NNE. The UV index reaches 6 (high), strongest from 1 PM to 3 PM. The National Weather Service rip current risk is high.
The water holds steady around 83°F through Wed Nov 4.
The week ahead at West Palm 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 Fri Oct 30.
| Day | Sky | High | Wind | Waves | UV | Rain | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Drizzle | 82°F | 18 mph | 7.2 ft | 6 | 6% | 83°F |
| Fri Oct 30 | Drizzle | 81°F | 16 mph | 6.3 ft | 6 | 28% | 83°F |
| Sat Oct 31 | Drizzle | 83°F | 20 mph | 7.7 ft | 6 | 56% | 83°F |
| Sun Nov 1 | Thunderstorms | 80°F | 19 mph | 7.7 ft | 4 | 85% | 83°F |
| Mon Nov 2 | Thunderstorms | 84°F | 13 mph | 7.2 ft | 6 | 73% | 83°F |
| Tue Nov 3 | Drizzle | 85°F | 9 mph | 8.2 ft | 6 | 22% | 83°F |
| Wed Nov 4 | Thunderstorms | 85°F | 10 mph | 7.9 ft | 6 | 27% | 83°F |
High and low tides for the next 7 days, from NOAA’s predictions for tide station 8722588. 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 | Low 4:40 AM 0.2 | High 11:20 AM 4.1 | Low 5:31 PM 0.8 | High 11:29 PM 3.3 | 4:16 PM–6:16 PM |
| Fri Oct 30 | Low 5:35 AM 0.3 | High 12:16 PM 3.9 | Low 6:30 PM 0.9 | — | 5:15 PM–7:15 PM |
| Sat Oct 31 | High 12:27 AM 3.3 | Low 6:36 AM 0.5 | High 1:14 PM 3.8 | Low 7:33 PM 0.9 | — |
| Sun Nov 1 | High 1:31 AM 3.2 | Low 6:43 AM 0.6 | High 1:17 PM 3.6 | Low 7:37 PM 0.9 | — |
| Mon Nov 2 | High 1:41 AM 3.2 | Low 7:52 AM 0.7 | High 2:22 PM 3.5 | Low 8:40 PM 0.9 | 6:37 AM–8:37 AM · best |
| Tue Nov 3 | High 2:53 AM 3.2 | Low 8:59 AM 0.8 | High 3:26 PM 3.4 | Low 9:38 PM 0.8 | 7:44 AM–9:44 AM |
| Wed Nov 4 | High 4:01 AM 3.4 | Low 10:04 AM 0.8 | High 4:23 PM 3.4 | Low 10:33 PM 0.6 | 8:49 AM–10:49 AM |
The average sea temperature at West Palm Beach for each month (2021–2024). The water is warmest in August (88°F) and coolest in January (77°F). It averages 74°F or warmer, comfortable for most swimmers, in every month.
| Month | Water °F | Water °C | For swimming |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 77°F | 25°C | Comfortable |
| February | 77°F | 25°C | Comfortable |
| March | 78°F | 25°C | Comfortable |
| April | 79°F | 26°C | Comfortable |
| May | 82°F | 28°C | Warm |
| June | 85°F | 29°C | Warm |
| July | 87°F | 31°C | Very warm |
| August | 88°F | 31°C | Very warm |
| September | 87°F | 31°C | Very warm |
| October (now) | 84°F | 29°C | Warm |
| November | 82°F | 28°C | Warm |
| December | 79°F | 26°C | Comfortable |
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 6 today, when unprotected fair skin burns in about 23 minutes. Wear SPF 30 or higher, reapply every two hours and after swimming, and find shade in the middle of the day.
Red tide. Florida's state sampling (FWC) near West Palm Beach shows red tide at none levels, from 1 sample 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 West Palm Beach is sampled by the Florida Healthy Beaches Program at the Phil Foster Park station. Official sampling results →
Dogs. Whether dogs are allowed here depends on which part of the beach you are on.
Swim near a lifeguard when one is on duty, and follow the beach flags and posted signs. The West Palm 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 West Palm Beach it’s very 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 West Palm Beach it’s windy.
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.
84°F (29°C), about normal for October.
At 84°F the water is warm. Waves are 7–8 ft, which is very rough. The rip current risk is high.
7–8 ft, which is very rough. The wind is 16 mph from the NNE.
High tide is at 11:20 AM and 11:29 PM, and low tide is at 4:40 AM and 5:31 PM. Times are NOAA predictions.
The UV index peaks at 6 (high). At that peak, unprotected fair skin burns in about 23 minutes. Wear SPF 30 or higher, reapply every two hours and after swimming, and find shade in the middle of the day.
The National Weather Service rates the rip current risk at West Palm 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) near West Palm Beach shows red tide at none levels, from 1 sample this week.
The NOAA satellite shows moderate sargassum offshore.
Highs run 80–85°F over the next 7 days. Rain is likely on Sat Oct 31, Sun Nov 1 and Mon Nov 2. The calmest day for a swim looks like Fri Oct 30.
The water at West Palm Beach averages about 84°F (29°C) in October.
August is the warmest month, averaging 88°F. January is the coolest, at 77°F.
The water averages 74°F or warmer from January to December. August is the warmest, at 88°F.
The usual water temperature in October at the nearest beaches. Tap one for its live conditions.
| Palm Beach conditions | 5 mi | 84°F |
|---|---|---|
| Juno Beach conditions | 7 mi | 82°F |
| Jupiter Beach conditions | 11 mi | 82°F |
| Lake Worth Beach conditions | 11 mi | 84°F |
| Boynton Beach conditions | 17 mi | 84°F |
| Jupiter Island conditions | 18 mi | 82°F |
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