Central QLD Forecaster Notes by Steve Shearer (issued on Mon 27th March)

This week and next week (Mar27-Apr7)

Central QLD: Becoming tiny and almost flat into this weekend

Tiny but rideable waves are on offer today and are expected to ease below rideable size tomorrow.

Not much to it now, getting smaller this week

Models have chopped and changed over the weekend as we expected with the troughy pattern on offer but we’ve got reasonable agreement now on the path ahead. A complex series of inland troughs are approaching from the interior dragging moist, unstable air down from the tropics. Weak, mobile high pressure in the Tasman gets reinforced by another rapidly weakening low well to the south of Tasmania tomorrow. A small trough of low pressure off the Gippsland coast is replaced by another trough system later in the week. Far to the south of this hot, soupy mess a series of stronger polar lows are traversing the Far Southern Ocean.

Weak winds in the Coral Sea

Tradewinds are now contracting Eastwards and the Coral Sea is going to quieten right down this week with only weak pressure gradients and light winds.

That will see surf become tiny/flat from Tues, likely extending into the weekend. 

The next surf prospects are first week of April as another strong high moves south of the Bight. We’ll have to see how it shapes up because a trough in the Tasman may disrupt the tradeflow.

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