North Avenue Beach surf report

Chicago, Illinois

Updated 3:00 AM CDT

35/ 100

Flat or blown out Swell period at 3s is what holds this back.

What decides a surfing score

Wave size 1.1 ft · 45% of the score 20
Swell period 3s · 30% of the score 25
Wind 9 mph · 15% of the score 85
Water temperature 65°F · 10% of the score 55

Scored on wave size, period and wind speed. We do not yet know which way each beach faces, so this does not account for offshore versus onshore wind.

Weather & UV · Open-Meteo Waves · Open-Meteo Marine Water temp · NOAA GLERL (daily) ⚠ Air quality · AirNow (unavailable)

Better nearby for surfing

46 Indiana Dunes BeachPorter, Indiana

North Avenue Beach is also scored for

87 Walking & shelling air comfort 71°F 84 Families with kids surf calmness 1.1 ft

About North Avenue Beach

North Avenue Beach sits on Lake Michigan, where the water runs from about 36°F in January to 74°F in August.

The water averages above 70°F in July, August and September — 3 months of the year — peaking around 74°F in August and dropping to about 36°F in January.

Today it is 65°F. That is 3° above the October average of 62°F here.

Frequently asked questions

Is North Avenue Beach good for surfing today?

Flat or blown out — we score it 35 out of 100 today. The limiting factor is swell period at 3s.

What makes a good surfing day?

We weight wave size (45%), swell period (30%), wind (15%) and combine them into one score. Conditions we cannot read are left out rather than guessed.

Nearby beaches

Indiana Dunes BeachPorter, Indiana Oval BeachSaugatuck, Michigan South Haven BeachSouth Haven, Michigan