Central QLD Forecaster Notes by Steve Shearer (issued on Mon 16th Jan)

This week and next week (Jan16-Jan27)

Central QLD: Lots of surf ahead as Tradewinds and Monsoon trough/lows combine

No great change to the outlook with plenty of rideable surf expected. A high moving into the Tasman is bolstering tradewind flows in the Coral Sea and supplying plenty of surf in the 1-2ft range across CQ under mod/fresh SE winds.

This fetch gets boosted by a node on the monsoon trough which lingers about the Burdekin coast, and enhances wind speeds about the Capricorn Coast. Expect surf to build into the 2-3ft range Wed and slowly linger there into Thurs before easing back to 2ft or so during Fri.

Monsoon trough focuses wind on CQ coast with increase in size expected

Into the weekend and reinforcing high pressure and a stationary monsoon trough which extends into the Coral Sea out to New Caledonia maintains Tradewinds and fun surf in the 2ft range across the weekend.

Next week and it feels like the tropics has been teasing us for a while now with promises of tropical depressions and/or cyclones.

The broad scale pattern is for discreet systems to form along the monsoon trough line and slide SE, which offers limited surf potential for CQ. Early next week through a system does look to stall in the Coral Sea, generating a stronger E swell possibly as early as Tues.

GFS is much more bullish about this than EC, which weakens the system runs it out to the SE.

Check back Wed and we’ll see how it’s shaping up.