Ok Wednesday, improving Friday and best Saturday

Craig Brokensha picture
Craig Brokensha (Craig)

South Australian Forecast (issued Monday 13th October)

Best Days: Wednesday morning down South, Friday and Saturday mornings down South

Recap

Saturday was poor across both coasts with onshore winds and an easing swell from later in the week.

A new building SW groundswell and offshore N/NW winds Sunday morning provided pumping waves across the South Coast before an onshore change moved through mid-late morning.

This has strengthened into today with a large stormy messy across the South Coast and chopped up 2ft sets on the Mid.

This week (Oct 13 - 17)

Unfortunately the week is looking less than perfect across the state with only a couple of windows of cleaner conditions across the South Coast.

Tomorrow will be a write-off with a large stormy mix of swells down South and fresh S/SE winds, while the Mid will be clean but in the tiny 1ft+ range.

Wednesday will be one window for cleaner but peaky waves down South as winds tend variable and likely locally offshore from the NE during the morning. Middleton should be easing from the 3ft range with 4ft sets at Waits.

Into Thursday a new long-range SW groundswell from the polar shelf, south of WA is expected but a surface trough sliding in from the west is expected to bring onshore W/SW tending S/SE winds creating average conditions on the South Coast, while the Mid will be tiny.

Friday should be fun as winds swing NE and the SW groundswell eases from 3ft to occasionally 4ft along the Middleton stretch with 5ft sets at Waits and Parsons. Get in through the morning though as winds will swing more E/SE into the afternoon.

This weekend onwards (Oct 18 onwards)

Saturday looks great again - as it has for the last month - with offshore N'ly winds for most of the day ahead of a late onshore change. A reinforcing SW swell due through the morning should ease during the day from an inconsistent 3ft along the Middleton stretch with 4ft sets at Waits, while Sunday will be smaller and poor with strengthening S/SE winds.

The longer term outlook is unfortunately poor with a succession of strong blocking highs expected to develop just west of us resulting in persistent S/SE winds and poor conditions. A couple of long-range swells are on the cards, but we'll look at these in more detail Wednesday.