- 01 9.6 Outer Banks, NCA perfect beach day 85° air 82° water 1.5 ft surf 10 mph 15% rain nothing against it
- 02 8.8 Gulf Shores & Orange Beach, ALA perfect beach day 85° air 86° water 1.8 ft surf 9 mph 39% rain nothing against it
- 03 8.8 Rehoboth & Bethany, DEA perfect beach day 77° air 76° water 1.8 ft surf 14 mph 13% rain cool air (77F high), breezy (14 mph)
- 04 8.6 Hilton Head Island, SCA perfect beach day 84° air 86° water 1.4 ft surf 14 mph 19% rain breezy (14 mph)
- 05 8.5 Martha's Vineyard, MAA perfect beach day 74° air 70° water 1.1 ft surf 10 mph 0% rain cool air (74F high), brisk water (70F)
- 06 8.5 Ocean City, MDA perfect beach day 78° air 77° water 2.0 ft surf 13 mph 16% rain breezy (13 mph), some surf (2.0 ft)
- 07 8.2 30A, FLA good beach day 86° air 87° water 2.2 ft surf 10 mph 43% rain breezy (10 mph), 43% chance of rain, some surf (2.2 ft)
- 08 8.1 Myrtle Beach, SCA good beach day 84° air 84° water 2.1 ft surf 13 mph 28% rain breezy (13 mph), some surf (2.1 ft)
- 09 7.8 Nantucket, MAA good beach day 72° air 69° water 2.2 ft surf 9 mph 0% rain cool air (72F high), brisk water (69F), some surf (2.2 ft)
- 10 7.7 Destin, FLA good beach day 83° air 87° water 2.2 ft surf 11 mph 52% rain breezy (11 mph), 52% chance of rain, some surf (2.2 ft)
Ten points, and the day loses them honestly.
Every shore starts at 10. Cool air below 78°F costs half a point per four degrees (up to three); above 92°F the same rule applies in the other direction (up to two). Water under 72°F costs a point, under 65°F two. Wind over 10 mph costs up to a point and a half, over 18 mph two and a half. The chance of rain costs up to three points in proportion. Surf over two feet costs half a point, over four feet a point and a half. The result is rounded to a tenth and capped between 0 and 10.
Forecast, UV, sunrise and sunset come from Open-Meteo's daily model for a point on the beach itself; wave height and sea-surface temperature from Open-Meteo's marine model for the same point; tide times and heights from the nearest open-coast NOAA CO-OPS prediction station. Everything refreshes with the morning rebuild. It is a guide to the day, not a promise, and it says nothing about crowds, jellyfish, or the line at the coffee place.