Central QLD Forecaster Notes by Steve Shearer (updated on Mon 8th May)

This weekend and next week (May 8-May19)

Central QLD: Small, long range swells on low tides, stronger surf from the weekend

Still just tiny surf with small background lines from the South Pacific just rideable on low tides.

A 996 hPa low just off the coast and a 1034 hPa high in the Bight is creating a very tight pressure gradient with subsequent severe gales and an L-XL S swell event for NSW, no significant swells for CQ.

In the South Pacific a long, persistent tradewind fetch has been chugging away with small, pulsey E swell expected this week.

In the short run expect a continuation of small, background E swell with sets to 1-2ft on low tides Tues-Thurs and light S’ly winds.

We’ll see a step change on Thurs as a new high moves into the Tasman and sets up a ridge along the QLD Coast. That will see increasing SE-E/SE winds developing in the Coral Sea and an increase in surf across the CQ Coast from Fri.

Expect size to build later Thurs into Fri wth 2ft surf becoming widespread and building into the 2-3ft range over the weekend. 

We should then expect the first half of next week to be a surf pattern with a strong high and a broad coverage of SE-E/SE winds in the Coral Sea maintaining 2-3ft surf.

Later next week the pattern breaks down as a trough forms off the NSW Coast and winds contract southwards.

Check back Wed and we’ll see how that is shaping up.