Central QLD Forecaster Notes by Steve Shearer (updated on Mon 4th Mar)

This week and next week (Mar4 -Mar15)

Central QLD: Extended run of surf ahead

Nothing over the weekend, plenty of surf to come.

Nothing yet, it's coming

We currently have a deep, winter-calibre double-headed low traversing the lower Tasman. Current ASCAT (satellite windspeed) passes show a long fetch of severe gales in the southern swell window and wave buoys are all in an aggressive upwards curve as strong S swells propagate along the Southern NSW Coastline, making landfall in SEQLD at reduced sizes but not showing north of Fraser Island.

To the north an extended trade-wind fetch is setting up through the week with another long playing E’ly swell event from that pattern, favouring the sub-tropics for size. That will favour CQ.

Healthy trade fetch brings plenty of surf this weekend

We should see rideable surf develop through Wed as a SE surge builds across the region and extends out into the Coral Sea. 

Surf then holds at fun size into the weekend before the tradewind fetch thickens up and increases. That should see increasing size into the weekend and next week. 

We may see an easing from mid next week as a low pressure system near New Caledonia drags the fetch southwards away from CQ.

Lets see how it looks on Wed.