Central QLD Forecaster Notes by Steve Shearer (issued on Mon 10 Jan)

This week and next (Jan10 – Jan21)

Central QLD: Rideable surf this week with better quality E and E/SE swell pulses for exposed breaks.

Surf has been tiny to flat on the weekend but an increase in tradewinds across the Southern Coral Sea, adjacent to the Capricorn Channel is now providing some small, but rideable waves along the more exposed breaks through the region.

Size is around the 1-1.5ft range and should stay in that place for tomorrow.

With proximate winds freshening through Tues there should be a broad coverage of 20-25knot SE winds through the f/cast region.  That will be sufficient to generate rideable surf in the 1-2ft range, bigger 2ft+ on the more exposed breaks.

Fri should see better quality E swell coming around the corner from Fraser Island, generated by a long fetch of E’ly winds through the South Pacific as a tropical low drifts down towards New Zealand (see below). Initial stages of this swell are blocked by Fraser but by Fri better quality 2-3ft surf is expected on the exposed breaks on the Burnett coast.

Winds tend NE on the weekend and surf eases across most of the region, apart from the exposed breaks which should maintain 2ft sets.

Better quality longer period E/SE swell is then expected to fill in later Mon, generated by gales around the low as it drifts towards the North Island, and hold through Tues and Wed with sets in the 3ft range at spots exposed to open ocean swells. Tiny/flat elsewhere.

Longer term and tiny/flat surf is expected from mid next week for the region.

A dominant high is expected to move into the far Southern Tasman late next week and that may build a ridge along the QLD coast sufficient to generate some surf for CQ.

All the tropical developments next week are focussed on NT and WA.

Check back Wed for a full update.