South Australian Forecast (issued Friday 20th December)
Best Days: Saturday morning in protected spots, Sunday morning for keen surfers, Tuesday morning for keen surfers, Wednesday
Recap
A fun but very inconsistent S/SW groundswell filled in yesterday across the South Coast offering 2ft+ sets at swell magnets under a light variable breeze that held up until the mid-late afternoon.
This created fun glassy waves for most of the day, while the Mid Coast was effectively flat.
Today a secondary small and inconsistent SW groundswell has provided 0.5-1ft waves on the Mid Coast, while the South Coast started off small and onshore but a rapid increase in windswell is expected this afternoon as S/SE winds reach the gale-force range aimed into the coast due to an intensifying surface trough directly over us. It probably won't reach the model forecast 6ft but come in the stormy 4-5ft range later today.
This weekend (Dec 19 -22)
The surface trough responsible for this afternoon's increase in S/SE windswell will weaken overnight and drift south and west resulting in a steady drop in windswell through tomorrow from 3ft to occasionally 4ft at most spots at dawn, down to 2ft during the late afternoon.
Winds will improve on today and blow from the E/SE favouring slightly protected locations. The Mid Coast won't see any of this swell and is expected to ease from a tiny 0.5ft tomorrow.
Come Sunday a small to tiny mix of fading S/SE swell and long-range SW groundswell aren't expected to top 2ft+ at exposed spots under a morning W/NW'ly. Winds should then swing SW during the day as the trough starts making its way back to the east.
Next week (Dec 23 onwards)
A moderate increase in S/SW swell is due Monday as a fetch of strong to gale-force S/SW winds are aimed into us but conditions will be poor with associated S/SW winds.
Cleaner conditions should be seen into Tuesday with W'ly winds, but there won't be much swell leftover.
A couple of good pulses of SW groundswell are expected on Christmas Day and into the end of the week owing to a polar low (pictured right) and then mid-latitude front moving in under the country next week. Wednesday's swell is expected to peak later in the day as morning offshores swing W'ly into the afternoon, while Friday's pulse looks to be with onshore S'lywinds.
The Mid Coast should see fun waves off the second pulse though, but we'll review this again on Monday.
South Australian Forecast (issued Friday 20th December)
Best Days: Saturday morning in protected spots, Sunday morning for keen surfers, Tuesday morning for keen surfers, Wednesday
Recap
A fun but very inconsistent S/SW groundswell filled in yesterday across the South Coast offering 2ft+ sets at swell magnets under a light variable breeze that held up until the mid-late afternoon.
This created fun glassy waves for most of the day, while the Mid Coast was effectively flat.
Today a secondary small and inconsistent SW groundswell has provided 0.5-1ft waves on the Mid Coast, while the South Coast started off small and onshore but a rapid increase in windswell is expected this afternoon as S/SE winds reach the gale-force range aimed into the coast due to an intensifying surface trough directly over us. It probably won't reach the model forecast 6ft but come in the stormy 4-5ft range later today.
This weekend (Dec 19 -22)
The surface trough responsible for this afternoon's increase in S/SE windswell will weaken overnight and drift south and west resulting in a steady drop in windswell through tomorrow from 3ft to occasionally 4ft at most spots at dawn, down to 2ft during the late afternoon.
Winds will improve on today and blow from the E/SE favouring slightly protected locations. The Mid Coast won't see any of this swell and is expected to ease from a tiny 0.5ft tomorrow.
Come Sunday a small to tiny mix of fading S/SE swell and long-range SW groundswell aren't expected to top 2ft+ at exposed spots under a morning W/NW'ly. Winds should then swing SW during the day as the trough starts making its way back to the east.
Next week (Dec 23 onwards)
A moderate increase in S/SW swell is due Monday as a fetch of strong to gale-force S/SW winds are aimed into us but conditions will be poor with associated S/SW winds.
A couple of good pulses of SW groundswell are expected on Christmas Day and into the end of the week owing to a polar low (pictured right) and then mid-latitude front moving in under the country next week. Wednesday's swell is expected to peak later in the day as morning offshores swing W'ly into the afternoon, while Friday's pulse looks to be with onshore S'ly winds.
The Mid Coast should see fun waves off the second pulse though, but we'll review this again on Monday.