South Australian Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Wednesday 16th January)

Best Days: South Coast swell magnets tomorrow morning, Mid Coast Monday afternoon, South Coast Tuesday morning

Recap

Good waves across both coasts yesterday with light winds and 1-2ft of W/SW swell on the Mid Coast and 2-3ft along the Middleton stretch.

The swell has eased a little into this morning down South with variable winds, clean and hanging in at 1-2ft on the Mid.

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This week and weekend (Jan 17 - 20)

A small pulse of reinforcing though weak mid-period W/SW swell is due later today, offering small waves on both coasts again tomorrow morning. It was generated by a weak front passing under WA earlier this week, and should keep the Mid Coast ticking along at 1ft+ on the favourable parts of the tide.

Middleton is only due to be around 2ft on the sets, bigger on the magnets and conditions will be great with a moderate N/NE offshore, giving into a SW change around midday/early afternoon.

Friday will then be poor with a moderate and freshening S'ly breeze, early S/SE on the Mid Coast but only tiny.

The weekend will remain poor with no new groundswell and moderate to fresh S/SE winds, stronger into the afternoon kicking up weak small levels of S/SE windswell.

As touched on last update though, a new long-period W/SW groundswell is due to fill in on Monday, generated by a tight and strong low forming north of the Heard Island region, producing a small fetch of severe-gale to storm-force W'ly winds.

The storm will track east-southeast and move fairly quickly, broadening a little and generating a fetch of gale to severe-gale W'ly winds in our western swell window, south-west of WA before weakening south-west of us on Saturday.

A mix of mid-period SW and long-period W/SW groundswell will be seen, with both arriving around a similar time through Monday and building quickly to 3-4ft off Middleton, while the Mid Coast looks to build to an infrequent 1-1.5ft. Winds will still be a problem for the South Coast and E/SE to S/SE, possibly E/NE Tuesday morning as the swell eases. More on this Friday though.