Central QLD Forecaster Notes by Steve Shearer (issued on Fri 30th Dec)

This weekend and next week (Dec30-Jan6)

Central QLD: Plenty of fun surf over New years weekend with an easing off next week

Continuing SE winds with a slight easing in size today into the 2ft range, still fun at exposed locations and on the right tides.

Smaller but still some fun ones with holiday crowds

No change to the weekend f/cast. A Monsoonal low continues to send ESE swell to exposed breaks but this low is now beginning to drift southwards, away from the CQ swell window. Local SE winds in the Coral Sea will mitigate this decline with local SE swell to 2ft through Sat, mixed with some longer range ESE swell to 2-3ft at exposed breaks.

SE winds and tropical low maintain fun waves over the weekend

Size then eases a notch Sun, into the 2ft range with mod/fresh SE winds.

Into next week and we’ll see surf hold in the 2ft range Mon, with easing SE winds.

By Tues we’ll see an easing trend kick in with small 1-2ft surf, easing right back to 0.5-1ft through Wed.

By later next week we’ll see a SE’ly flow re-establish, likely through Fri as a new ridge of high pressure builds in.

We’re also still monitoring possible cyclogenesis or another tropical low off the QLD coast later next week, although models are still shifting around a lot. So we’ll see what shapes up later next week. 

Thats still a long way off so lets see how it’s shaping up when we come back in 2023. Have a great New Years and we’ll see you next year!