Central QLD Forecaster Notes by Steve Shearer (updated on Mon 18th Mar)

This week and next week (Mar18-Mar28)

Central QLD: Fun waves keep coming for most of this week (and next week)

More rideable surf for the next few days at least.

Tides a bit high but still breaking

Pretty typical late Summer pattern with a high in the Tasman and a maturing trade-wind flow in the Coral Sea, linked to an active monsoon trough with a small embedded low in the Coral Sea. There is a tropical cyclone in the Gulf of Carpentaria which formed over the weekend but this system is expected to track inland over the NT and Kimberley regions and not be a swell source for the East Coast. We’ll see this pattern disrupted mid-week by an aggressive trough which brings S winds and swell before the next high slowly resets the trade pattern, this time further north in the Coral Sea.

In the short run we’ll see a continuation of fun sized E’ly swells. Certainly nothing special compared to last weeks swell but size will hold on the 2-3ft range for most of this week. We’ll see a slow easing in size from Thurs with size remaining surfable into and over the weekend but at reduced levels (2ft or so).

The ridge resets next week so we’ll see more fun surf develop from Tues or Wed next week. It should remain surfable every day through this period.

Check back Wed for the latest.