Fun weekend of waves, best Saturday
Southern Tasmania Surf Forecast by Craig Brokensha (issued Friday 22nd December)
Best Days: Saturday, early Sunday, Monday morning, Tuesday morning
Recap
Pumping waves yesterday with a strong SW groundswell and offshore winds, easing in size through the day.
This morning we're between swells with clean 2ft waves across Clifton, but a secondary strong pulse of W/SW groundswell should kick sets back to 3ft this afternoon as winds become variable.
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This weekend and next week (Dec 23 - 29)
This afternoon's increase in W/SW groundswell has been generated by a strong polar front tracking towards us the last couple of days, and we should see it peaking this evening before easing back tomorrow. Clifton will see 2ft to hopefully 3ft sets early, smaller into the afternoon.
Conditions are looking great all day with a N/NW tending W/NW breeze, while moving into Sunday we'll fall between swells but Clifton should maintain 2ft sets. A morning W/NW breeze will swing onshore mid-late morning.
Sunday's change is linked to a weak but broad polar front moving in slowly from the west and this will produce some reinforcing W/SW swell for Monday, pulsing to 2ft+. The early morning will be best again with a W/NW breeze, swinging onshore late morning.
The swell will fade through Tuesday and become tiny Wednesday with morning offshore winds, and beyond this there's nothing significant on the cards until next weekend. Therefore make the most of the coming days and have a happy and safe Christmas!
Comments
Hi Craig, My 10 year old daughter Sadie and I would like to know what WAMs is an acronym for. Are you able to tell us please?
Regards
Horace
Historically, WAM is an acronym for 'wave amplitude model' which was the only available computer model forecast product in the early days of surf forecasting. So, the term "checking the WAMs" became general slang for looking at the surf forecast.
Obviously, these days we have more products than wave height forecasts (periods, surface winds, MSLP etc) but "checking the models" looks a little weird.
Also, from a design point of view, it's much easier to use the letters WAM in the navigation tabs at the top of the page, rather than 'models' or 'charts' or 'computer generated forecasts'. I kinda dig the late 90's throwback term too.
Thanks for the information Thermalben. We got the Waves and Models but the A stumped us. I like it and we wonder no more. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Horace and Sadie