South Australian Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Monday 31st December)

Best Days: Keen surfers on big boards Mid Coast tomorrow and Wednesday morning, Mid Coast more so late Wednesday, both coasts Thursday morning, Saturday and Sunday Mid Coast

Recap

Poor conditions and average waves across the South Coast all weekend, best yesterday with a new pulse of W/SW swell. The Mid Coast was tiny Saturday but super fun yesterday with 2ft+ sets and cross-offshore S/SE winds.

This morning a secondary pulse of W/SW swell has kept 2ft+ sets hitting the Mid Coast with cleaner conditions this morning, bumpy now. The South Coast remained average and onshore.

Sun AM

Mon AM

Today’s Forecaster Notes are brought to you by Rip Curl

This week and weekend (Jan 1 - 6)

Our two fun W/SW swell pulses seen yesterday and today are expected to ease into tomorrow morning ahead of some better W/SW tending SW groundswell energy Wednesday/Thursday.

Unfortunately for most of the coming period winds will remain onshore down South (except for one day) with much cleaner options on the Mid Coast.

A morning SE breeze is due tomorrow with easing 1-1.5ft waves on the Mid Coast, bumpy and to 2-3ft off Middleton.

Wednesday morning should reveal some new building mid-period W/SW swell ahead of larger SW groundswell energy into the afternoon, easing Thursday.

Currently an elongated fetch of strong W/SW winds are being generated through our western swell window, south-west of WA. This fetch will move further east closer to us, generating the mid-period W/SW swell but stronger gale-force W/SW winds at the tail of the progression will then follow and move towards us from this afternoon through tomorrow while dipping slightly east-southeast.

A stronger SW groundswell will be produced by this fetch, filling in later Wednesday, peaking overnight and easing slowly Thursday, further Friday.

The Mid Coast looks to be around 1-1.5ft during the morning Wednesday, with 2ft sets later in the day easing from 1-2ft Thursday.

Middleton should build to 3-4ft by dark Wednesday, but with onshore SE tending S/SE winds, easing from a similar size Thursday morning with the best winds of the period. An approaching trough should bring N/NE winds through the morning (E/NE at dawn) more N'ly at midday ahead of weak sea breezes mid-afternoon.

Therefore there's no need to go the early with conditions straightening up later morning.

The trough will move through proper early Friday morning bringing poor S/SW winds to the South Coast, better on the Mid and out of the S/SE but with a tiny leftover 1ft of swell.

Into the weekend we've got a moderate to large sized W/SW groundswell due along with favourable winds for the Mid Coast.

An intense mid-latitude low is forecast to develop off the WA coast on Wednesday, with a great fetch of gale to severe-gale W/SW winds due to be projected under it's South Coast, directly through the Mid Coast's swell window while it slowly dips east-southeast.

The low will maintain most of its strength as it continues towards Tassie through our south-western swell window.

The strong W/SW groundswell is expected to fill in overnight Friday with Saturday revealing solid 3ft sets on the Mid Coast, with the South Coast building in size through the day and reaching 3-4ft across the Middleton stretch.

S/SE tending S/SW winds will favour the Mid and create poor conditions down South, while Sunday looks a little suss with S/SW tending S/SE breezes.

Yet another mid-latitude front looks to generate another good W/SW swell for early next week, but more on this Wednesday. Happy New Year!