South Australian Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday 30th May)

Best Days: South Coast Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Mid Coast Saturday afternoon, Sunday and Monday

Recap

Semi-stormy onshore 2-3ft waves on the Mid Coast yesterday and some new swell on the South Coast to 2-3ft along the Middleton stretch, with an afternoon change.

Today a better swell has offered 3-4ft waves off Middleton as a with favourable winds, and average onshore 2ft waves on the Mid. We'll see the swell easing through the day as winds hold from the W/NW-W.

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This week and weekend (May 31 – Jun 3)

This morning's pulse of swell came in a bit above expectations, but is close-range energy is due to ease back through this afternoon, temporarily bottoming out ahead a building and strengthening SW swell through tomorrow, peaking through Friday morning.

This has been generated by a strong frontal system that developed under WA yesterday and is generating a fetch of strong to gale-force W/SW winds through our swell window while projecting towards Victoria.

Size wise we should see Middleton kick to 3ft+ through the day, and ease from a similar size Friday morning, while the Mid Coast looks to come in at 1-1.5ft.

Winds look favourable most of the day across the South Coast with a morning W/NW breeze, tending variable from the NW into the afternoon and variable winds on the Mid Coast. Friday should then see N/NE winds persisting most of the day, if not tending N/NW through the afternoon.

Moving into the weekend and the outlook has improved with a new long-period W/SW-SW groundswell expected to provide some good size across both coasts.

Currently a patchy but strong frontal progression is projecting towards WA, but a low will spawn off this and drift slowly south while generating a prolonged fetch of severe-gale to storm-force W/SW winds in our western and then south-western swell window.

A good W/SW tending SW groundswell is due, building through Saturday and pulsing to an inconsistent 1-2ft on the Mid Coast through the afternoon, with 3-4ft sets off Middleton.

A slow drop in size is then due through Sunday from 3ft off Middleton and 1ft to maybe 2ft on the Mid Coast, but mostly likely 1.5ft.

Winds look favourable with N/NE tending variable N/NW winds on Saturday and N/NW tending variable winds Sunday, though likely weak onshore.

Looking into next week, and a good new W/SW groundswell looks to steady wave heights across the South Coast to 3ft off Middleton, while providing more consistent 2ft surf on the Mid Coast with favourable winds, but more on this Friday.