windy conditions – A return to Shinnecock Hills brings a tough first-round setup on Thursday, June 18, with AccuWeather forecasting rain chances above 50% and gusts over 40 mph. The forecast also calls for strong winds in later rounds, turning expectations into a weather test as
Scottie Scheffler’s joke lands for a reason: the golfers who can’t stop tracking the sky tend to be the ones who understand it best.
Ahead of the 2026 U.S. Open. Scheffler said this week that most golfers are “weather nerds. ” adding that if someone wants to know what the weather is. “ask a golfer just because we’re always looking at it.” That kind of talk is more than small talk this week. because the U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills in Southampton. New York. on Thursday. June 18—where wind can shift quickly enough to turn a round into a moving target.
The pressure of those shifting conditions is already familiar to the players. Rory McIlroy told reporters earlier this week that “it’s a golf course where it can turn very quickly. ” and said the setup will bring “a lot of crosswinds. ” with fairways that “they’re going to play a lot narrower than the 45 yards wide that they average.”.
AccuWeather’s 10-day forecast as of 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, June 17 lays out how the day-one stakes could play out. For Round 1 on Thursday. June 18. the expectation calls for windy conditions with winds from the south of more than 20 mph and gusts of more than 40 mph. The forecast also includes a 55% chance of precipitation, a 33% chance of thunderstorms, and a high of 72.
Round 2 on Friday, June 19, is expected to start cloudy in the morning before turning sunny in the afternoon. The high is forecast at 77, but the wind won’t fully back off: southwest winds of 20 mph are still expected, with gusts up to 35 mph. Precipitation odds fall sharply, with just a 7% chance.
On Saturday, June 20, conditions shift to sunnier weather. The forecast calls for a high of 77 and a 7% chance of precipitation. Still, northwest winds of 20 mph are expected, with gusts up to nearly 40 mph.
The final round on Sunday, June 21 is projected to be partly cloudy, with moments of sunshine and cloud cover and a high of 76. A steady breeze is expected in the afternoon, with 10 mph winds from the west and gusts up to 25 mph.
The schedule is tight, and the forecast reads that way too: the tournament moves from a rain-and-thunder setup on Thursday to mostly lower precipitation chances, even as wind remains a constant thread through the weekend.
The 2026 U.S. Open will be broadcast nationally on NBC, USA Network and NBCSN. Live streaming coverage will be available on Peacock, Fubo, USOpen.com and the U.S. Open app. All times are Eastern: Round 1 on Thursday. June 18; Round 2 on Friday. June 19; Round 3 on Saturday. June 20; and the final round on Sunday. June 21.
2026 U.S. Open Shinnecock Hills weather forecast wind gusts rain chance AccuWeather Scottie Scheffler Rory McIlroy